JJ Watt Criticizes ESPN Over YouTube TV Blackout
JJ Watt expressed frustration with the ongoing ESPN-YouTube TV dispute. Earlier this week, Watt criticized ESPN after he couldn’t watch the Arizona Cardinals vs. Dallas Cowboys Monday Night Football game on YouTube TV. Disney had removed all of its channels from the platform due to a carriage fee disagreement.
The crazy part is, I have some sort of subscription because I watch Espanyol matches on ESPN+ I don’t understand it and quite frankly just don’t really care to figure it out right now.
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) November 4, 2025
On Wednesday, Watt appeared on the Pat McAfee Show on ESPN, declaring he was done subscribing to streaming services due to the complicated login and verification processes.
We need it. And I’m not going to enter 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 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 replay content that’s bull—-. Figure it out.
FIGURE IT OUT” ~ @JJWatt #PMSLive
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 5, 2025
Context of the Dispute
The blackout stems from Disney removing ESPN channels from YouTube TV over a carriage fee conflict, leaving subscribers unable to access live sports broadcasts.
Key Points
- JJ Watt was unable to watch a key Monday Night Football game due to the blackout.
- Watt has a subscription but finds the streaming services confusing and frustrating.
- He publicly announced he will stop subscribing to streaming platforms because of complicated access procedures.
Author's Summary
JJ Watt openly criticized ESPN and YouTube TV over a streaming blackout, expressing frustration with confusing subscriptions and vowing to avoid future streaming service purchases.