JJ Watt Criticizes ESPN and YouTube TV for ‘Monday Night Football’ Blackout Affecting Fans

10 million YouTube TV subscribers missed the Cardinals-Cowboys game.

JJ Watt Criticizes ESPN and YouTube TV for ‘Monday Night Football’ Blackout Affecting Fans

JJ Watt (Image via IMAGO)

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Former NFL star JJ Watt advised YouTube and Disney-based ESPN to resolve their issues quickly. Due to their disagreements, millions of fans across the country couldn’t watch key NFL and college football games over the last gameday.

The problem started on Saturday morning when paid subscribers couldn’t access ESPN or ABC channels on their accounts. Saturdays are typically packed with major college games, and networks often compete fiercely for the rights to broadcast them. So, it was a big downer when a few important fixtures weren’t televised on their designated time slots.

The issue persisted during Monday Night Prime Time Football, causing many households with ESPN-YouTube subscriptions to miss the Dallas Cowboys’ Week 9 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. JJ Watt was among them. During an appearance on the ‘Pat McAfee Show,’ the three-time Defensive Player of the Year went on a rant against these frustrating circumstances.

It’s football [Pat]. We need it. And I’m not entering my information on another frickin’ website, and I’m not getting a confirmation code sent to my email, clicking it, and coming back and putting it in. I’m not doing it. I’m not doing it. I did it once. I have some sort of subscription. I have no clue what it is because I can only watch frickin’ half the content, apparently. Or it’s replayed content. It’s s***. Figure it out [quickly].

Watt played for the Cardinals during his twilight years and missed the chance to experience his former team’s fourth win in five games against the Cowboys. He added:

When that [QR code] pops up, I get hot. And then you do it, you scan it, and you’re like, ‘Alright, I’m in!’ And then they’re like, ‘No. You don’t have that one. Too bad.’ I’m trying to watch my guys. I played for the Cardinals. I wanted to watch the game on Monday night.

What is the ongoing feud between YouTube and ESPN about?

Why do two major conglomerates clash? Money, of course, Disney insists that YouTube TV pay what it claims is the market rate for its channels, while YouTube argues that doing so would force it to hike its prices for the second time this year. Definitely not a budget-friendly move.

JJ Watt Criticizes ESPN and YouTube TV for ‘Monday Night Football’ Blackout Affecting Fans
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (Image via IMAGO)

Until the two parties find common ground, ESPN and other Disney channels will not be available on YouTube TV. According to Business Insider, YouTube TV is the fourth-largest distributor in the country with around 10 million subscribers who were blacked out from viewing the game in Arlington.

The Cardinals pass the verdict on Kyler Murray

The win in Dallas came as a welcome surprise for the Cardinals, who were massive underdogs before kickoff, partly down to the fact that Jacoby Brissett started at quarterback instead of Kyler Murray.

As it turned out, the Cardinals did not need Murray as Brissett balled out. The veteran shot caller threw 21 completions from 31 attempts for 261 yards and 2 touchdowns (to Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride).

In mark of the recent results, the Cardinals placed Murray on injured reserve citing a foot injury. It means he will miss the next four games. Brissett is set to take over as QB1.

Brissett must bring his A-game because the games at the tail end of the season are bound to be harder. The 3-5 Cardinals’ next game is against divisional rivals, the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle won the earlier fixture 23-20 in Arizona, with Murray throwing 2 picks.

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