YouTube TV, Comcast & Dish Set to Miss NHL Power Play On ESPN

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – Follow me on X.

TV Answer Man, I read your article about DIRECTV and the ESPN app. My question is about YouTube TV. Will YouTube TV subscribers be able to get the NHL Power Play games on the app or not? – Cleve, Phoenix.

Cleve, the new ESPN Unlimited app, which costs $29.99 a month, offers live feeds of all ESPN channels plus an extensive library of on-demand programming. In addition, the app provides access to ESPN+ which has even more live events including premium WWE matches such as Wrestlepalooza and the NHL Power Play. If you’re not familiar with Power Play, it airs more than 1,000 out-of-market regular season NHL games. (In 2021, the feature replaced NHL.TV, the league’s former online package.)

However, to get access to the ESPN+ programming, including NHL Power Play, you must either subscribe to the ESPN app or be one of these TV providers that have struck carriage deals with ESPN: DIRECTV streaming, Hulu Live, Verizon, Fubo and Spectrum TV.

Subscribers to those services who have ESPN in their pay TV plans can access the entire ESPN app (including ESPN+) at no extra charge using their provider user name and password. (DIRECTV’s satellite customers will get access to the ESPN+ shows sometime in the fall, the TV provider says, although it could be December.)

However, subscribers to other services such as YouTube TV, Comcast and Dish, which have not signed ESPN+ app deals with the sports network, will not be able to access the ESPN+ programming including NHL Power Play. They can use their pay TV user name and password to watch the live ESPN channels on the app, but not the extra ESPN+ programming.

The good news is that you can get the Power Play with an ESPN Select subscription which is only $11.99 a month rather than paying the full $29.99 a month.

There were rumors before Saturday night’s Wrestlepalooza on the ESPN app that Comcast and YouTube TV might strike a last-minute deal. But they were just rumors and there is no indication a deal is imminent.

The NHL regular season starts in roughly two weeks. If you want to watch the Power Play games, you probably will need to get a separate subscription to ESPN Select.

Cleve, I hope that answers your question. Happy viewing and stay safe.

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