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Morning Edition

November 13, 2025

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Disney’s YouTube TV blackout is already costing the company $30 million a week—and sports fans are feeling the pinch as big games go unseen. Will Disney’s earnings take a hit?

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]] and David Rumsey [[link removed]]

Disney’s YouTube TV Blackout Looms Over Earnings [[link removed]]

Green Bay Press-Gazette

Disney’s quarterly earnings reports, always closely watched events in the media business, will take on a particularly heightened level Thursday as its carriage standoff with YouTube TV [[link removed]] continues.

The ESPN parent company will go back to Wall Street with its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings report. There is plenty to discuss between the August debut of the ESPN direct-to-consumer service [[link removed]], a banner viewership start to the 2025 NFL season, a pending equity deal with the NFL [[link removed]], and significant travel disruptions, both domestically and internationally, that could impact Disney’s theme parks business.

The prevailing topic surrounding the company right now, however, is the company’s blackout on YouTube TV, the No. 4 U.S. pay-TV distributor. As the standoff hit Day 13 on Wednesday, the two sides remain divided, though talks are continuing.

Getting to a 14th day Thursday would extend the YouTube TV dispute beyond the 13-day standoff Disney had with DirecTV last year [[link removed]] and an 11-day one with Charter in 2023 [[link removed]].

The financial implications are significant for both sides, as Morgan Stanley estimates Disney is losing $30 million per week without its programming being distributed on YouTube TV. The streaming service, meanwhile, recently began issuing $20 credits [[link removed]] to its subscriber base of about 10 million, something that could become a nine-figure revenue hit.

Going into the earnings report, analyst expectations, as well as the future outlook for Disney, are quite divided [[link removed]].

Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr, meanwhile, has weighed in publicly after previously staying silent on the issue, tweeting this week [[link removed]], “Google and Disney need to get a deal done and end this blackout. People should have the right to watch the programming they paid for—including football. Get it done!”

Carr’s pressure was a factor in prior YouTube TV disputes with NBCUniversal [[link removed]] and Fox [[link removed]] getting resolved.

Viewership Impact

The effect of the standoff on ESPN’s football audiences, meanwhile, has also been rather mixed. The first weekend without distribution on YouTube TV brought some lower viewership for college football [[link removed]], though historic viewership for Game 7 of the World Series [[link removed]] was likely a factor to some degree. A Monday Night Football game between the Cardinals and Cowboys saw viewership fall 21% from the comparable game in 2024.

The second weekend, however, presented a different story. The College GameDay pregame show rose from an average of about 2 million viewers on Nov. 1 to 2.2 million viewers on Nov. 8. Both figures, however, remain below the full-season average of 2.7 million viewers for the program. ESPN, meanwhile, aired three of the five most-watched college football games of the week, peaking with an LSU-Alabama matchup [[link removed]] that averaged 7.5 million viewers and was the sport’s biggest draw of the week among all networks.

The Nov. 10 MNF game between Philadelphia and Green Bay—a much more attractive clash between the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles and a strong playoff contender in the Packers—averaged 20.6 million viewers and beat a comparable Dolphins-Rams game last year by 70%. The game from Lambeau Field, which was simulcast on ABC unlike the Miami–Los Angeles contest, also featured a news-free interview with Disney CEO Bob Iger [[link removed]] on the companion Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli on ESPN2.

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Beyond Thanks

This Veterans Day, USAA [[link removed]] has gone beyond thanks with the launch of Honor Through Action, our $500 million commitment over the next five years to strengthen the military community. By investing in programs that drive meaningful, measurable change, we’ll help veterans build fulfilling careers, create secure financial futures and care for their overall well-being.

USAA [[link removed]] is proud to lead this effort, advocating for veterans and their families, championing their future and calling on others to do the same. Because while saying “thank you” will always matter, showing up for what’s next means everything.

Caitlin Clark Effect Hits Golf Again—and TV Network Expands Coverage [[link removed]]

Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The LPGA felt the Caitlin Clark Effect once again Wednesday, as the WNBA star brought the unmatched spotlight that follows her in and outside of basketball to the Tampa area’s annual tour stop for the second straight year.

Clark teed off her pro-am round at 8:30 a.m. ET in front of a huge crowd that was five people deep surrounding the first tee box at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla., which this week is hosting The Annika driven by Gainbridge, the penultimate event on the 2025 LPGA schedule before next week’s CME Group Tour Championship.

Playing alongside No. 2–ranked Nelly Korda for the first nine holes, the scenes on the course were similar to Clark’s debut at the tournament a year ago, when large crowds flocked to the star athletes [[link removed]].

And on TV, Golf Channel increased its coverage of Clark’s presence from last year. The network’s Golf Today studio show had live look-ins from Florida, where LPGA play-by-play announcers Grant Boone and Morgan Pressel were in the broadcast booth, and on-course reporter Tom Abbott followed Clark’s group—both unprecedented moves for a pro-am.

“It’s crazy,” Korda said during an on-course interview with Golf Channel. “That first tee was something out of a book, almost. But it’s so fun. It’s cool to see how many people she brings together to another sport.”

Fans were seen wearing Indiana Fever and University of Iowa Clark basketball jerseys, as well as other custom Clark-themed gear. Clark’s Fever teammates—Sophie Cunningham and Lexie Hull—walked with her throughout the day as guest caddies. The Fever’s official social media accounts were posting live Clark golf content [[link removed]] throughout the round.

“I think it just shows how powerful supporting one another can truly be,” Clark said of the attention around her and Korda on Wednesday. “I’ve always been a big advocate of that, supporting women’s sports and always been a big fan, whether it’s golf or soccer or volleyball, whatever it is.”

Golf Channel used Clark’s pro-am round to promote its new WNBA coverage in 2026, and a wider rebranding to USA Sports, which on Wednesday was officially announced as the new name of sports coverage on Versant networks [[link removed]]. Previously, Golf Channel and USA Network sports telecasts fell under the NBC Sports moniker, but that will no longer be the case after Comcast spun off its cable networks.

EXCLUSIVE

ESPN Orders On-Air Talent to End Solitaire App Promo

ESPN is directing several on-air talents, including Dan Orlovsky, Kendrick Perkins, Mina Kimes, and Laura Rutledge, to sever marketing ties with controversial Papaya Gaming, Front Office Sports has learned. Kimes has already stepped away—now all eyes are on what Stephen A. Smith will do. Read more in Michael McCarthy’s exclusive here [[link removed]].

Missouri Governor’s Latest Pitch to the Chiefs: Add a Roof, Not a Move [[link removed]]

Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

As Missouri tries to keep the Chiefs from potentially leaving Arrowhead Stadium and moving across the state border, Gov. Mike Kehoe has a potential answer: Put a lid on it.

The governor is proposing the installation of a roof on the 53-year-old venue, marking the Show Me State’s latest salvo in a long-running stadium consideration by the Chiefs.

“There’s some interesting architectural improvements to make to Arrowhead that could be conducive to an all-weather protective environment without being a full dome,” Kehoe told the Associated Press [[link removed]]. “I would say, look at some of the structures that are in Europe that may have some sort of fabric device that goes over it.”

A substantial renovation of Arrowhead Stadium has long been one of the Chiefs’ options as it mulls its facility future, but Kehoe’s latest remarks represent a more specific and substantive notion along those lines. Among the venues that Kehoe references as a model for the Chiefs is Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Germany, where the team played an international game two years ago against the Dolphins. That stadium, now a century old, has a translucent roof membrane, supported by cables, that is adjustable depending on the weather conditions.

Kehoe’s more out-of-the-box thinking arrives as the Chiefs are looking to make a decision about a stadium, something that originally had been expected by this past summer [[link removed]], and then around the start of the 2025 NFL season. The Chiefs have not commented about Kehoe’s proposal, but last month, team owner Clark Hunt stressed patience as it continues deliberations on what will be a franchise-altering decision.

“I wouldn’t say we’re in limbo. Stadium projects move at their own pace,” Hunt said. “We’ve learned over the years that you can’t really force them to go faster, even if you want them to. And so it’s just important for us to keep working on both options.”

A final decision is now possible before the end of December.

In the meantime, neighboring Kansas has already approved a funding mechanism that would support a domed facility that would also enable major events in the Kansas City area such as the Super Bowl, Final Four, and College Football Playoff. That mechanism was extended to June 2026 [[link removed]], but Kansas officials made it clear they want a decision from the Chiefs by year’s end. Missouri also has a state-level stadium funding plan in place [[link removed]].

NFL sources said the roof idea from Kehoe came as a surprise, as the renovation option for Arrowhead Stadium heretofore has been in the context of keeping it as an open-air venue. Installing a roof, even a fabric one, would likely push a renovation project already estimated at $1.15 billion beyond $2 billion and much closer to the cost of simply building a new venue.

Taking Notes

While the Chiefs continue to evaluate their stadium options, they are taking copious notes of what other NFL teams are doing with their venues. Many road trips for the Chiefs this season, including a recent one to Buffalo [[link removed]], have been paired with stadium tours for team executives to get a deeper sense of the design choices and deal structures for other franchises.

Industry sources said Hunt also met recently in Kansas City with Commanders owner Josh Harris, who similarly negotiated with multiple jurisdictions in the Washington area before landing on a deal with the District of Columbia [[link removed]] to build a new venue there.

The Chiefs additionally have received a likely political boost on the Missouri side of this equation as Jackson County executive Frank White, a former Royals star and longtime opponent of stadium funding for both pro teams, was recently recalled.

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Conversation Starters Bears quarterback Caleb Williams’s 6th-grade teacher traveled to Chicago to see him play, honoring the promise he made to his former student years ago. See their reunion [[link removed]]. Mike Krzyzewski spent time with Army cadets [[link removed]] at West Point before their Black Knights took on Duke on Veterans Day. Oklahoma is making $45 million in renovations to the Sooners’ baseball stadium. Upgrades will include a new clubhouse and a strength and performance center. Check out the renderings [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks Nico Harrison’s Exit Doesn’t Clean Up Mavericks Mess [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The Mavericks are at a crossroads with their current roster. FanDuel Launching Prediction-Markets App—With Sports [[link removed]]by Ben Horney [[link removed]]Sports will only be available in states where online sports betting isn’t legal. White House Adviser: Tiger Woods Is Part of D.C. Public Golf Project [[link removed]]by David Rumsey [[link removed]]The National Links Trust is renovating three city courses. Question of the Day

As a fan, do you like NFL teams playing outdoors instead of in a domed stadium?

OUTDOORS [[link removed]] DOMED STADIUM [[link removed]]

Wednesday’s result: This football season, 52% of respondents said they are more interested in college football than the NFL. 48% of respondents said the NFL.

Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Show [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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