The standoff between YouTube TV and Disney over television/streaming rights has entered its second week, with YouTube TV users being without Disney channels, like the popular ABC and ESPN networks.

The dispute centers on carriage fees, the per-subscriber rates distributors pay to carry broadcast and cable networks.  Disney’s networks, which also include FX, Disney Channel, Nat Geo, and more, have been dark on YouTube TV since late Thursday, October 30.

YouTube TV, owned by Google, has been involved in multiple carriage disputes this year, but most deals are struck before channels are removed from the platform, or within a day or two of being removed. A carriage dispute of this length, especially with a company owning some of the most-watched channels on television, is rare.

According to Variety, a recent survey by market research firm Drive Research found that 24% of YouTube TV subscribers had already canceled or plan to cancel the service in response to the Google/Disney standoff. Thirty percent of those surveyed say they planned to subscribe directly to Hulu + Live TV or ESPN Unlimited to ensure they have access to the sporting events and networks they want to watch.

I completely understand being pissed off by the Google/Disney dispute. As a YouTube TV subscriber myself, I have been, too, though I’m more upset about losing the opportunity to DVR ABC dramas and comedies I watch than about not being able to see select college football games or Monday Night Football.

But one thing I absolutely will not do is cancel YouTube TV— at least anytime soon —to switch to Hulu + Live TV.

This is a fight between billionaire conglomerates, but it also feels like a dirty plot by Disney to make more money and kill off a competitor.

You see, Disney owns Hulu, just as it does ABC, ESPN, etc., and if it can piss off enough YouTube TV subscribers to cancel and switch to Hulu + Live TV, it’s a win-win for the company.  

We’ve never lived in a time when media conglomerates were so obviously trying to buy up so many companies and essentially hold a monopoly, and when the government seemed OK with it.  

Yes, Google/YouTube aren’t faultless in this standoff, but without ABC, ESPN, etc., YouTube TV’s product probably dies off in the future, and that would make Hulu + Live TV the biggest live television streamer. As it stands, YouTube TV has roughly 10 million subscribers, whereas Hulu + Live TV has around 4 million. Can’t you see why Disney might want to keep ABC, ESPN, etc., away from YouTube TV for an extended period of time?

Eventually, Google and Disney will come to a deal. It has to. Otherwise, as I said, YouTube TV is kaput. But what we absolutely should not do is kowtow to Disney by forking over more money to the company.

I understand you want to watch football. But it’s not worth giving in to Disney by subscribing to one of their streamers in the meantime. Try to ride out this dispute like I am.  

I Love L.A. (HBO/HBO Max) – Sunday, November 2
Rachel Sennott plays the kind of characters who would probably annoy the hell out of me in real life – but the ones I’ve seen from her on film, like in “Shiva Baby” and “Bottoms,” have entertained the hell out of me instead. She frequently plays self-obsessed, trainwreck late millennials, but the messiness is funny and sometimes endearing. Sennott brings her first leading television role in “I Love L.A.” to HBO (streaming on HBO Max), in which she plays an ambitious young woman aspiring to be a talent agent and reunites with friends who have spent time apart. “I Love L.A.” premieres on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, November 2.

All Her Fault (Peacock) – Thursday, November 6
The Peacock thriller “All Her Fault” sees Sarah Snook’s return to television following her career-changing, Emmy-winning role as Shiv Roy on HBO’s “Succession.” “All Her Fault” features Snook as a mother who arrives at a location to pick her son up from a play date only to find that he’s no longer there. Based on a novel by Andrea Mara, the series features Jake Lacy, Sophia Lillis, Michael Pena and Dakota Fanning in supporting roles. “All Her Fault” premieres on Peacock on Thursday, November 6. 

Pluribus (AppleTV) – Friday, November 7
AppleTV’s “Pluribus” sees the return of “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul” creator Vince Gilligan to television, but this time with science fiction as the genre. He re-teams with actress Rhea Seehorn, from “Better Call Saul,” who plays a woman immune to an unexplained virus that transforms the world’s population into happy, optimistic people. The show, which was picked up for two seasons from the start, should be one of the year’s most anticipated TV premieres simply based on the Gilligan/Seehorn collaboration. “Pluribus” premieres on Apple TV on Friday, November 7. 

Frankenstein (Netflix) – Friday, November 7
Director Guillermo del Toro’s lifelong inspiration has been author Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” and according to a recent interview for CBS’s “Sunday Morning,” aspects of the story have appeared in every one of the director’s films. He finally got the chance to take on the mother of all monster tales himself via Netflix, with his telling of the classic premiering on Friday, November 7. This version features Oscar Isaac as Dr. Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as his monstrous masterpiece. 

The Beast in Me (Netflix) – Thursday, November 13
Netflix’s dramatic miniseries “The Beast in Me” sees Emmy-winner Claire Danes as a grieving mother and acclaimed author who has taken a step back from public life following the death of her son, until an interesting subject falls into her lap when a real estate mogul, played by Emmy-winner Matthew Rhys, who was the prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance, moves in next door. “The Beast in Me,” which features eight episodes, co-stars Brittany Snow and Natalie Morales, and premieres on Netflix on Thursday, November 13. 

Stranger Things: The Final Season Part 1 (Netflix) – Wednesday, November 26
“Stranger Things,” possibly the greatest original series Netflix has ever produced, finally returns for its final season over the long Thanksgiving weekend, when part one of the three-part final season, featuring four feature-length episodes, drops. The Duffer Brothers, who created and oversee the series, should absolutely be embarrassed by how long it has taken to get this final season out. It has been almost three and a half years since the fourth season and taking nearly a full decade to produce 42 episodes is asinine and everything people hate about television in the modern world. Now that the admonishment is out of the way, all will be forgiven if the Duffer Bros. can finish this story in the amazing fashion it deserves. Let’s return to Hawkins one final time with our favorite teenagers, even if some might be drawing retirement checks by now.