Disney plans to put Super Bowl LXI on ABC, five cable channels and Disney+. Local ABC stations say that could cost them ad money. Here’s the fight and every way to watch.
Disney wants Super Bowl LXI on just about every screen it owns. ABC’s local stations aren’t cheering.
The network’s broadcast affiliates are “steaming” over Disney’s plan, CNBC’s Alex Sherman reported, as quoted by NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk. WDW News Today picked up the story on Friday, Oct. 23.
The game is Sunday, Feb. 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Here’s why the stations are upset and how you’ll be able to watch.
Where will Super Bowl LXI air?
On a lot of channels. Sherman listed ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, NFL Network, Disney Channel and Disney XD, plus a stream on Disney+.
That doesn’t mean one broadcast on eight channels. Some will carry alternate versions of the game, called altcasts.
What are the Super Bowl LXI altcasts?
The biggest is Star Wars Funday Football, a real-time animated version of the game. It airs on Disney Channel and Disney XD and streams on Disney+ and the ESPN App, WDW News Today reported.
Peyton and Eli Manning’s ManningCast will be on ESPN2, as PNP reported earlier this month. T Dog Media reported that Pat McAfee will lead an altcast on ESPNU, with a stats-focused version on NFL Network.
The main broadcast on ABC, ESPN and Disney+ has the Monday Night Football crew: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge.
Why are ABC affiliates upset about the Super Bowl?
Money. All those options could pull viewers away from local ABC stations, and fewer viewers can mean less ad revenue.
Disney’s setup could cut ad revenue tied to broadcast viewership “by up to 35% compared to last year,” Sherman reported, according to Pro Football Talk.
An unnamed station group CEO put it bluntly. “Any time you fragment distribution, you’re destroying value for each of the individual platforms,” the CEO told Sherman.
Are ABC stations against the altcasts?
That same CEO said the problem is more about recognition. “I don’t have a problem with what Disney is doing,” the executive said.
“I have a problem that there’s no acknowledgement that we’re losing money,” the CEO added.
The ABC Television Affiliates Association Board of Governors, which works between the stations and the network, is discussing the issue. Its chairman declined to comment to Sherman.
Which TV station groups own ABC affiliates?
Several big ones. T Dog Media named Sinclair, Nexstar and Tegna among the unhappy groups, citing reports. Hearst also owns many ABC stations.
What did Disney say about the Super Bowl plan?
Disney is standing by it. “Our ABC affiliates are important partners and we always take that into careful consideration when making these decisions,” a Disney spokesperson told Sherman.
“We’ve successfully navigated similar situations in collaboration with the governing board many times before, and this is no different,” the spokesperson said.
In an earlier statement to CNBC, Disney pointed to Fox streaming the Super Bowl on Tubi and NBC on Peacock. “There’s nothing unprecedented about this approach as we are meeting the modern consumer where they are,” Disney said, according to T Dog Media.
Will the altcasts pull many viewers from ABC?
Maybe not many. Pro Football Talk argued that most people will still watch the main broadcast.
The Super Bowl is “a communal event,” the site noted, and in a group setting anything other than the main broadcast is harder to follow.
Who voices C-3PO in Star Wars Funday Football?
Anthony Daniels, who has played C-3PO since the original 1977 film, WDW News Today reported. He voices the droid in the teaser that Disney released Oct. 20, as PNP reported.
It’s the fourth Funday Football, after The Simpsons, Toy Story and Monsters, Inc. versions. But it’s the first animated altcast of a Super Bowl, WDWNT noted.
A restored version of the 1977 Star Wars returns to theaters days later, on Feb. 19, 2027.
Can you watch Super Bowl LXI free?
Yes, with an antenna. ABC is the free over-the-air option, and your local ABC station is the one in this fight.
The game will also stream for Disney+ subscribers in the U.S., with a Spanish option from ESPN Deportes, as PNP reported.
Has Disney already sold Super Bowl ads?
Yes, in August. Disney sold out all of its national Super Bowl LXI ad inventory six months early, drawing 58 brands, as PNP reported then.
The stations are worried about their own slice of the money.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
NBC Sports, Pro Football Talk (Oct. 22, 2026), the CNBC report by Alex Sherman and Disney’s statement
WDW News Today, Megan K and Arica Conrad (Oct. 23, 2026), the affiliate dispute and Anthony Daniels
T Dog Media, Terence Henderson (Oct. 23, 2026), the station groups, the altcasts and Disney’s first statement
Pirates & Princesses (Aug. 9, Oct. 7 and Oct. 20, 2026), the ad sellout, Disney+ details and the teaser
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