Adam Cairns-Imagn Images via the USA Today Network

ESPN Makes ‘College GameDay’ Announcement on Friday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Parker Johnson | Last updated Nov 14, 2025 10:43 PM ET

On Friday night, Disney and YouTube TV ended their two-week public standoff by announcing a new multi-year distribution agreement to bring ESPN channels back to the popular streaming platform.

"We’re happy to share that we’ve reached a deal with Disney to bring their content back to YouTube TV," YouTube TV said in a statement Friday night. "Subscribers should see channels including ABC, ESPN, and FX returning to their service over the course of the day."

During the blackout, two editions of ESPN's popular college football morning show, "College GameDay," were not available on YouTube TV.

Although ESPN channels immediately began to be restored once the deal was struck on Friday, the network decided to keep alternative streaming options in place for "College GameDay" in Week 12 in Pittsburgh on Saturday.

"Tomorrow, ESPN's @CollegeGameDay remains available to all fans on the ESPN App with no subscription or authentication needed," ESPN PR announced. "Fans can also watch all three hours on X on @PatMcAfeeShow and @ESPN."

The decision ensured that all fans would be able to watch Rece Davis, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban, Desmond Howard and Kirk Herbstreit on Saturday morning even if there was a lag for some YouTube TV subscribers in getting their ESPN channels back.

Tomorrow, ESPN's @CollegeGameDay remains available to all fans on the ESPN App with no subscription or authentication needed. Fans can also watch all three hours on X on @PatMcAfeeShow and @ESPN.

College GameDay will be live from Pittsburgh for a Top 25 showdown between No. 9… pic.twitter.com/m7pKCJXCn9
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) November 15, 2025

It marks the third straight week ESPN has made its marquee college football pregame show available to watch for free on multiple platforms, following Week 10's live show at Utah and the Week 11 edition at Texas Tech.

Considering Disney lost an estimated $56 million during the outage, this will probably be the last time viewers can expect to access "College GameDay" for free.

"College GameDay" begins at 9 a.m. ET on Saturday outside Acrisure Stadium, building up to a top 25 matchup between No. 22 Pitt and No. 9 Notre Dame at 12 p.m. ET on ABC. Pitt and NFL legend Aaron Donald is the celebrity guest picker.

Once ESPN channels are fully restored on Saturday, YouTube TV subscribers should have access to watch No. 11 Oklahoma vs No. 4 Alabama (ABC, 3:30 p.m.) and No. 10 Texas vs. No. 5 Georgia (ABC, 7:30 p.m.).

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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