Hulu & YouTube TV Lose Monumental Sports Network In Carriage Row

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

Monumental Sports, the regional TV home of the Washington Capitals, Washington Mystics and Washington Wizards, has confirmed that neither YouTube TV nor Hulu are now carrying its regional sports network (RSN).

The carriage agreements between Monumental Sports and the two streamers were set to expire yesterday. YouTube TV issued a statement late yesterday afternoon saying it would no longer carry the channel. And Monumental confirmed late last night that both YouTube TV and Hulu have opted not to reach a new agreement.

“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,” the channel said in a statement.

Monumental Sports added: “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.”

YouTube TV said in an e-mail to subscribers that “over the past few weeks, we’ve been focused on reaching a fair agreement with Monumental Sports…to keep their content on YouTube TV. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we haven’t been able to reach a deal and starting today, September 30, 2025, programming from Monumental Sports will not be available on YouTube TV. This means you will no longer be able to watch live content or access recorded programs from this channel in your library.”

Hulu Live did not issue a statement on the Monumental Sports negotiations.

The blackout means that YouTube TV and Hulu sports fans in the Washington, D.C. area will not be able to watch the Capitals’ regional broadcasts when the NHL regular season starts October 7 or the Wizards when the NBA tips off on October 21 unless the companies can negotiate a new agreement.

In its statement, Monumental Sports said the channel’s loss of Hulu and YouTube TV reflected the ongoing troubles for regional sports networks which have struggled to generate viewers and advertising in a declining pay TV industry. The RSN also said independent local channels are particularly at risk.

“Unfortunately, this isn’t just about YouTube TV’s and Hulu’s disregard for D.C. sports fans,” Monumental Sports stated. “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.”

Monumental Sports Network, which is still available on carriers such as DIRECTV, Verizon and Comcast, can also be purchased separately for $19.99 a month. The channel has lowered the annual plan by $20 to $179.99.

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