Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) of the Arizona Cardinals stiff-arms Daron Bland of the Dallas Cowboys in an NFL game on Nov. 3. Sam Hodde/Getty Images Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment The blackout of Disney networks on YouTube TV may be affecting ratings for those networks. A carriage dispute between the two companies led to ABC, ESPN and other Disney outlets going dark on YouTube TV on Oct. 31. With about 10 million subscribers, YouTube TV is among the larger multi-channel providers in the U.S., covering about 8 percent of TV homes. Ratings for ABC's primetime college football game on Nov. 1 fell off significantly from their season average, but that could be attributable to airing opposite game seven of the World Series as much as anything else; college football games on CBS and NBC also suffered that night. Evidence from Monday and Tuesday, however, suggests that the dispute might be pulling viewing numbers down for two of ABC's biggest shows. Related Stories TV Sinclair CEO Rips Disney Over ABC Blackout for YouTube TV Users TV Tom Bergeron to Make First 'DWTS' Return 5 Years After Shocking Show Exit Monday Night Football averaged 16.37 million viewers on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, well below the 20.17 million viewer average for six other MNF simulcasts this season. ABC's portion of the simulcast had about 9.84 million viewers, its second-lowest total of the season (including two weeks when the network wasn't part of a simulcast). Dancing With the Stars fared better on Tuesday, but its 6.33 million viewers marked the show's first decline of the season after six straight weeks of audience growth (the longest such streak for a fall broadcast series in at least 34 years). DWTS declined by about 6 percent week to week in viewers (vs. 6.74 million on Oct. 28) and by 10 percent among adults 18-49 (1.36 rating to 1.22). Disney also notes that live streaming of Dancing With the Stars on Disney+ was higher than usual Tuesday (though it didn't provide specific numbers), suggesting some blacked-out viewers may have turned to the streamer to watch the show. There is some noise in that data, as there always is with TV ratings: Monday Night Football featured a not especially exciting game between two sub-.500 teams (the Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys), and election night coverage Tuesday may have pulled some viewers to cable news. On the other hand, the Cowboys - regardless of record - are typically one of the NFL's bigger draws. CBS saw its audience grow a little bit week to week in the first two hours of primetime, while Fox was fairly steady (full figures for NBC's live NBA coverage weren't immediately available). THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up Podcasts Bob Iger Has Some Advice For His Successors lionsgate Lionsgate Shrinks Quarterly Loss After Starz Spin Off Video Games 'Grand Theft Auto VI' Delayed Once More to November 2026 Coca-Cola Man Who Created AI Holiday Coke Ad Says It Took More Creativity Than You Realize Mikie Sherrill What Mikie Sherrill's Win Means for New Jersey's Booming Film and TV Industry The New York Times Inside The New York Times' Vertical Video Strategy Podcasts Bob Iger Has Some Advice For His Successors lionsgate Lionsgate Shrinks Quarterly Loss After Starz Spin Off Video Games 'Grand Theft Auto VI' Delayed Once More to November 2026 Coca-Cola Man Who Created AI Holiday Coke Ad Says It Took More Creativity Than You Realize Mikie Sherrill What Mikie Sherrill's Win Means for New Jersey's Booming Film and TV Industry The New York Times Inside The New York Times' Vertical Video Strategy