It’s been a rough start to October for some pay-TV customers around the United States, particularly YouTube TV customers. That service barely dodged a major blackout with NBCUniversal, and didn’t avoid one with TelevisaUnivision, causing the Univision channel to be pulled from its airwaves. Now, customers of that streaming service, as well as Hulu + Live TV, are going to have to say goodbye to another channel: Monumental Sports Network, the regional sports network that distributes the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards to fans in the nation’s capital.

The blackout of Monumental Sports Network on Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV should come as no surprise to customers. The channel put out a statement last week indicating that a carriage dispute was building, and that it would be blacked out on YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV unless the two sides could be convinced to meet its terms.

That has not happened, and there’s a possibility the two streamers never come back to the table. Regional sports networks have less leverage than giant channel conglomerates like Comcast and Fox, since their audience is so much smaller. They don’t have the negotiating power to compel distributors to make the most favorable terms, despite the popular teams that play on them.

“We are incredibly disappointed for our fans that YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV have chosen to drop Monumental Sports Network and leave DMV-area sports fans without access to Capitals, Wizards, Mystics, and other local games just as the Capitals and Wizards seasons are about to begin,” Monumental said in a statement. “We offered — and will continue to offer — both YouTube TV and Hulu numerous fair deals filled with economic concessions to keep our programming accessible, but neither platform meaningfully engaged with our proposals, and we never received a written counterproposal from either.”

The timing of the blackout is tough for D.C.-area sports fans who are anticipating the beginning of the Capitals and Wizards seasons. The Capitals start their season against the Boston Bruins on Oct. 8 — though their first game on Monumental isn’t scheduled until Oct. 11, when they face the New York Rangers. The Wizards open the 2025-26 NBA season on Oct. 22 against the Milwaukee Bucks.

“Unfortunately, this isn’t just about YouTube TV’s and Hulu’s disregard for D.C. sports fans,” the regional sports provider said. “Their decisions to walk away reflect a troubling reality in the pay-TV industry: independent regional sports networks like Monumental are being squeezed out by large, multinational streaming companies using anti-competitive tactics. Hulu, owned by Disney, and YouTube TV, owned by Google, are following a similar pattern, sacrificing the interests of local communities while seeking to consolidate control over sports programming. These platforms simply do not value our fans or the role regional sports play in their communities.”

There are a couple ways to watch Monumental in the channel’s TV footprint outside of YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV. The DIRECTV CHOICE plan — starting at $90 per month — carries Monumental, and can be streamed through the devices you already have at home. You can also stream games live on the Monumental+ app, costing $20 per month.

This article was updated to clarify that the Capitals don’t play their first game on Monumental Sports Network until Oct. 11.