YouTube TV, Hulu Could Lose Monumental Sports In Carriage Dispute

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

Monumental Sports Network, the regional TV home of the Washington Wizards, Washington Capitals and Washington Mystics, is threatening to pull its channel from Hulu Live and YouTube TV due to a carriage dispute.

It’s unclear when the channel could be removed if new carriage deals are not signed, but Monumental Sports said yesterday that it would be before the NBA and NHL seasons which begin October 21 and October 7 respectively.

In a post yesterday on the web site, KeepMonumentalSports.com, the RSN (regional sports network) said the two streamers have “refused to reach fair agreements.”

“Monumental Sports Network has negotiated in good faith – including making significant economic concessions – to keep the channel on air. Despite our repeated efforts, Google’s YouTube TV and Disney’s Hulu + LIVE TV have refused to reach fair agreements, and they may take away your access to Capitals and Wizards game ahead of the start of the regular seasons,” Monumental Sports stated.

YouTube TV and Hulu carry few regional sports networks compared to live streaming rivals, DIRECTV and Fubo. And Axios reports that YouTube TV has issued a statement downplaying the potential loss of Monumental Sports.

“We know how important live sports are to YouTube TV subscribers, but we will not ask them to pay more to continue carrying a channel that very few of them actually watch,” the streamer said.

Neither Hulu nor YouTube TV carry MASN, the regional TV home of the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles in the Monumental Sports market.

Hulu has not issued a statement in response to the Monumental threat to pull its channel.

In related news, YouTube TV could also lose the NBC owned channels next week in a separate carriage dispute. See our article for more details.

Please consider making a donation to The TV Answer Man site here at the Buy Me a Coffee site. Any donation size is appreciated and will help me continue to provide these articles to you.

Have a Question? Ask The TV Answer Man!
Have a question about a favorite show, streaming service or new TV product? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com. Please include your first name and hometown in your message.