Bob Iger to Appear on Monday Night Football Tonight

Disney CEO Bob Iger is scheduled to be a guest on tonight's Monday Night Football with Peyton & Eli.

What's Happening

• Disney CEO Bob Iger will be on Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli tonight, November 10th, at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Iger will be joining a guest lineup that also includes Abbott Elementary creator Quinta Brunson and comedian Shane Gillis.
• Iger's guest spot comes during a high-profile carriage dispute between Disney and YouTube TV. Disney-owned channels, including ESPN and ABC, have been blacked out for all YouTube TV subscribers since October 31st due to a failure to reach a new contract.
• This means tonight's broadcast will be the second consecutive Monday Night Football game that is unavailable to millions of subscribers on the streaming platform.
• While this is Iger's first time appearing as a guest on the show, he previously made a cameo in a "ManningCast: The Musical" promotional sketch that was released in September 2024.

The Power of Live Sports in Carriage Disputes

• Bob Iger's appearance highlights a long-running playbook in the media world, where live sports (particularly things like the NFL) are valuable bargaining chips in broadcast negotiations. Carriage disputes, where a distributor like YouTube TV and a content provider like Disney fight over fees, are common. However, they often reach a breaking point during major sporting events.
• Distributors are betting that customers won't miss what they don't have, while content providers bet that the anger from fans missing a big game will force the distributor's hand. By blacking out channels, Disney is leveraging the passion of the "Monday Night Football" audience to put direct pressure on YouTube TV.
• Iger's appearance on the (unavailable) broadcast is an interesting move as it reminds subscribers exactly what they are missing and who controls the content.