Kirk Herbstreit Takes Jab at DirecTV After USC-LSU Blackout

On Sunday night, millions of DirecTV customers across the United States were left frustrated when several popular networks, including ABC and ESPN, were pulled from the cable provider's lineup. This blackout, which began at 7:20 p.m. EDT, came at a critical time for sports fans—interrupting the fourth round of the U.S. Open and occurring just ten minutes before the Modelo Vegas Kickoff Classic game between LSU and USC was set to begin.

As a result, many subscribers were unable to watch, where the Trojans secured an upset victory over the Tigers, 27-20, in a thrilling Big Ten versus SEC matchup.

The dispute between Disney, which owns ABC and ESPN, and DirecTV revolves around negotiations for a new carriage agreement. According to The Wall Street Journal , Disney is seeking an increase in fees to carry some of its more popular channels, while DirecTV wants more flexibility in how it sells those channels—especially the option to offer smaller, more affordable bundles. This disagreement over costs and channel packaging led Disney to pull its networks from DirecTV, leaving millions of viewers without access to their favorite shows and live sports, with no immediate resolution in sight.

After a busy Week 1 as the College GameDay host and calling games at Texas A&M, where the Aggies faced Notre Dame, and then in Las Vegas for the USC versus LSU game, Kirk Herbstreit seemed to weigh in on the situation. On Monday, Herbstreit took to social media to share his thoughts, posting, "Knew YouTubeTV would pay off. Good call to my four boys. #CloseCall #Onward."

With YouTube TV unaffected by the blackout, Herbstreit, who works for ESPN, seemed to be highlighting the benefit of the streaming service in a situation like this.

Herbstreit’s tweet quickly caught the attention of fans, leading to a back-and-forth on social media. One fan replied, "Kirk, you literally work for ESPN; they don’t hook you up? lmao."

Herbstreit responded, "Nope. I’m clueless when it comes to this stuff. Creature of habit. My four sons will have to lead me from here."

This incident reflects the growing challenges traditional cable providers like DirecTV face in maintaining their customer base amid rising costs and evolving consumer habits. As more viewers move to streaming services like YouTube TV—currently with around 8 million subscribers, according to Forbes —for greater flexibility and fewer service interruptions, cable providers are under increased pressure to adapt.

Disney's blackout of its channels on DirecTV is not an isolated event. Over Labor Day weekend last year, a similar carriage dispute with Charter led Disney to pull its programming, which lasted 11 days and prevented viewers from watching key sports events like the U.S. Open and “Monday Night Football.”

As the standoff between DirecTV and Disney continues, millions of subscribers remain uncertain about when or if they will regain access to the affected channels. Meanwhile, this situation has fueled discussions about the advantages of switching to streaming services like YouTube TV, which not only provide more flexibility in channel selection but also protect against such blackouts.

Herbstreit may have given YouTube TV free marketing.

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