Earlier this week, we reported that YouTube TV was in jeopardy of losing FOX-owned channels if negotiations for a carriage agreement didn’t result in a new contract. While the two companies weren’t able to come to an agreement ahead of the 5 p.m. ET deadline on August 27, they did agree to a short-term extension to keep the channels live while negotiations continued. Now, YouTube TV says that a deal has been reached and the channels will remain on the live TV streaming platform.
A short statement about the agreement says: “Fox Corporation (Nasdaq: FOXA, FOX) and YouTube TV today announced a renewal of the full portfolio of FOX networks, including FOX News Channel, FOX Business Network, FOX Weather, FOX Sports, FS1, FS2, FOX Deportes, Big Ten Network, the FOX network and all FOX Local Stations.”
Financial details were not disclosed.
Leading up to the initial August 27 deadline, YouTube claimed that “Fox is asking for payments that are far higher than what partners with comparable content offerings receive. Our priority is to reach a deal that reflects the value of their content and is fair for both sides without passing on additional costs to our subscribers.”
On the other side, FOX said “While FOX remains committed to reaching a fair agreement with Google’s YouTube TV, we are disappointed that Google continually exploits its outsized influence by proposing terms that are out of step with the marketplace.” The company claimed that it was “proposing a fair, comprehensive deal to continue our relationship with YouTube TV” but that Google was pressuring FOX into accepting “unfavorable and one-sided terms.”
The following channels were part of the carriage agreement and would have gone dark if an agreement wasn’t reached:
- BTN
- FOX
- FOX Business
- Fox Deportes
- FOX News
- FOX Soccer Plus
- FOX SOUL
- FOX Sports 1
- FOX Sports 1 4K
- FOX Sports 2
- FOX Weather
- KTVU Plus
- LiveNOW from FOX
YouTube TV subscribers will continue to have access to the FOX channels and will be able to watch upcoming coverage of the MLB playoffs and the start of college football and NFL season.
YouTube TV starts at $82.99 per month and has a lineup of over 100 channels.