ESPN+ Will Stream Monday Night Football Telecasts Amid YouTube TV Dispute

YouTube TV and Disney are closing in on a possible carriage dispute if the two sides can’t reach a deal by Friday. But, even if they aren’t able to come to terms by then, if you have ESPN+, you won’t need to worry about missing Monday Night Football.

That’s because ESPN will simulcast most of the remaining Monday Night Football telecasts on the streaming service. Last night’s Los Angeles Rams vs. Arizona Cardinals was the first of five telecasts that will stream on ESPN+ for the rest of the season, including their Saturday Night Doubleheader (January 8th) and their first ever Monday Night Football Wild Card Game. Those games will also be available on ABC with an antenna.

ESPN+ will simulcast the traditional telecast with Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Louis Riddick, Lisa Salters and John Parry for the rest of the year, while making their alternative feeds – the ManningCast and Between the Lines – available during the Wild Card Game.

While ESPN owns the streaming rights to Monday Night Football, they traditionally haven’t included access to ESPN+ subscribers. Starting with the 2022 season, ESPN+ will stream one exclusive national game each year, as part of the NFL’s new rights deal. ESPN will also stream a Monday Night Wild Card Playoff Game starting this season, with a ManningCast on ESPN+

ESPN+ is only $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year, or is included in The Disney Bundle, which adds Disney+ and Hulu for $13.99 a month. It includes live games from the MLB, NHL, MLS, College Football, College Basketball, Bundesliga, LaLiga, and more.

Last week’s Monday Night Football game between the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills delivered an audience of 14.9 million viewers, MNF’s best audience since its 2021 season opener. To date, Monday Night Football is averaging 13.2 million viewers a game, up 11% from 2020 and 4% from 2019, according to ESPN.