CBS, Nickelodeon and other channels owned by Paramount will soon go dark on YouTube TV, as negotiations continue for both companies after they failed to reach a contract renewal to distribute Paramount’s channels on the streaming service.
Paramount accused YouTube TV of pressuring the company into “one-sided terms” in contract ... [+]
YouTube wrote Wednesday that all Paramount content on the streaming service—including CBS, CBS Sports, MTV and Nickelodeon, among other channels—will become “unavailable” as early as Thursday.
Users will be offered an $8 credit if Paramount’s content is unavailable for an “extended period,” YouTube TV said.
Paramount—which launched a separate website for the dispute—claims YouTube TV is “attempting to pressure” the company toward “unfavorable and one-sided terms” in a new contract, alleging YouTube TV is “prioritizing their own interests over a fair agreement.”
Paramount said the company made a “series of offers” to YouTube TV, including an unspecified “comprehensive deal,” though YouTube TV says they are still “actively negotiating.”
Neither Paramount nor YouTube TV immediately responded to requests for comment.
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About 23 of Paramount’s networks would be pulled from YouTube TV, including CBS, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV, TV Land, Paramount Network, CMT, VH1 and BET, among others (Paramount has a list of affected channels by ZIP code). CBS News affiliates will also go dark, Paramount said, including Atlanta’s WUPA, Boston’s WSBK, KTXA in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, New York’s WLNY, Philadelphia’s WPSG, Pittsburgh’s WPCW, Sacramento’s KMAX, San Francisco’s KPYX, Seattle’s KSTW and Tampa Bay’s WTOG. YouTube TV warned users subscribed to Paramount’s Paramount+, SHOWTIME and BET+ will also be unable to access content, including any recorded shows.
More than 8 million. That’s how many subscribers YouTube TV had as of Feb. 6, 2024, according to YouTube CEO Neal Mohan. That reportedly makes YouTube TV the largest internet-based pay-for-TV service in the U.S. ahead of DirecTV Stream and Fubo.
YouTube TV’s latest contract dispute follows the service's latest price hike, after the company pushed the price tag for its basic package by $10 to $82.99 per month in January. Disney-owned channels went dark on YouTube TV in December 2021, after both companies failed to complete contract negotiations before a deadline. The channels—ABC, ESPN and National Geographic, among others—went dark for about three days before YouTube TV and Disney reached an agreement, which included YouTube TV lowering its monthly subscription rate. NBCUniversal had a similar dispute with YouTube TV in October 2021, briefly threatening a blackout of NBC’s channels like NBC Sports and USA Network before the two companies reached an agreement before a deadline.