YouTube is reportedly getting ready a brand new product geared toward sports activities followers. In 2026, YouTube TV is poised to broaden its providing with a lineup of genre-specific skinny bundles, together with a package deal primarily based round stay sports activities.
Sports activities Enterprise Journal reported that YouTube TV has ten new bundles within the works. Amongst that group, the subscription providing for sports activities followers is most intriguing. YouTube is aware of simply how worthwhile sports activities broadcast rights could be — that’s why it’s paying about $2 billion per season to distribute the NFL Sunday Ticket soccer package deal.
Sports activities rights additionally performed a pivotal function within the protracted carriage dispute between Disney and YouTube. Some analysts argued that Disney’s holdout might cut back its reliance on distribution companions because it appears to clear a path for its new ESPN app. That direct-to-consumer providing consists of all content material from The Worldwide Chief In Sports activities, and it can be bundled with the equally new Fox One service.Subscribe for every day Tubefilter Prime StoriesSubscribe
If YouTube TV goes to persuade shoppers that no different streamer can supply higher stay sports activities protection, then it wants a killer lineup. The upcoming skinny bundle is rumored to have a complete channel record: It might convey collectively the ESPN household, Turner Sports activities channels, Fox’s FS1, and the NBC Sports activities Community beneath one roof. The entire fundamental community channels can be included as nicely.
For sports activities followers, that might be groundbreaking. It might imply no extra bouncing between Paramount+ and HBO Max throughout March Insanity. Baseball followers might watch playoff video games on TBS, FOX, and ESPN in a single app. And YouTube would achieve a bargaining chip it might deploy in any future carriage negotiations.
The deliberate bundle additionally connects to a special dispute involving Disney and YouTube TV. Earlier this yr, the Mouse Home sued YouTube in an try and cease its rival from poaching Justin Connolly, an skilled sports activities streaming government. The 2 events reached a settlement in October, and Connolly is now taking part in a key function within the growth of the upcoming skinny bundle, in line with Sports activities Enterprise Journal.
Can Connolly use his ESPN expertise to create a streaming service that appeals to sports activities followers world wide? That might be, from YouTube TV’s perspective, a veritable house run.
