Topline
YouTube TV could soon lose NBC channels on its platform over a carriage dispute with NBCUniversal, marking the latest disagreement the streaming television service has had with a major network that threatens some of the content available to YouTube TV subscribers.
YouTube TV and NBCUniversal have yet to reach a deal on their carriage agreement, which will expire Tuesday and leave YouTube TV users without access to NBC channels.
YouTube, a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet, will offer YouTube TV subscribers a $10 credit if NBCUniversal content is “unavailable for an extended period of time,” according to a statement.
YouTube accused NBCUniversal of “asking us to pay more than what they charge consumers for the same content on Peacock,” NBC’s own streaming service, claiming the changes “would mean less flexibility and higher prices for our subscribers.”
NBCUniversal alleged in a statement reported by multiple outlets that YouTube TV “refused the best rates and terms in the market, demanding preferential treatment and seeking an unfair advantage over competitors to dominate the video marketplace.”
NBCUniversal blasted Google in its statement, saying it “already controls what Americans see online through search and ads—now it wants to control what we watch.”
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Some of the largest programs at risk of being removed from YouTube TV include Sunday Night Football, NBA, Big Ten Football, WWE, Premier League, Saturday Night Live, The Voice and The Real Housewives, according to NBCUniversal. Broadcast networks included in the blackout may be NBC and Telemundo, while cable networks like Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC and USA Network could also be impacted, Axios reported.
YouTube TV’s carriage contract with Disney expires in October. Disney, which owns ABC and ESPN, failed to reach an agreement with YouTube TV in 2021, which led to the loss of Disney content on the platform.
YouTube TV’s carriage dispute with NBCUniversal comes just a month after the television streamer narrowly avoided the loss of Fox content on its platform with a last-second deal. Fox accused YouTube of “asking for payments that are far higher than what partners with comparable content offerings receive” and exploiting “its outsized influence by proposing terms that are out of step with the marketplace.” Similar YouTube TV carriage disputes occurred in February, when the streamer and CBS agreed to a short-term extension to an agreement that kept channels like CBS, Nickelodeon and MTV alive on YouTube TV. The streaming service, which has 8 million subscribers at the end of 2023, costs users $82.99 under its base plan and is projected to be the top pay-TV distributor by 2026, according to research firm MoffettNathanson.
YouTube TV Customers May Lose Fox Channels Wednesday: What To Know (Forbes)