YouTube TV, NBCUniversal strike short-term deal, dodging NBC blackout
YouTube TV, NBCUniversal strike short-term deal, dodging NBC blackout
The two sides are still working on a longer-term agreement, but the news is good for viewers nevertheless.
YouTube TV and NBC’s parent company, NBCUniversal, managed to sneak one in under the wire. The two sides saw their previous carriage deal expire on Tuesday night, and there appeared to be every prospect that NBCUniversal channels would be gone from YouTube TV when customers woke up on Wednesday. However, the two sides have reached a short-term deal that will prevent any such blackouts, at least for a few days, while the two continue negotiating.
Key Details:
- Straight from the source: NBCU has confirmed to The Streamable that it has a short-term deal with YouTube TV.
- Preparing for the worst: YouTube TV was ready to give customers bill credits if a blackout occurred.
- Seems familiar: So far, the brewing dispute with NBCUniversal has resembled YouTube TV’s dispute with Fox.
NBCU and YouTube TV came to a short-term arrangement to keep NBCU channels on the streamer just hours before the deadline. An NBCU spokesperson confirmed the deal to The Streamable.
“We’ve reached a short-term extension with Google to avoid YouTube TV customers losing access to NBCUniversal programming as we continue negotiations,” the spokesperson said.
YouTube TV was prepared for the dispute to go the distance. The streamer sent communications to customers notifying them it would provide $10 credits if NBC channels were absent from its package for an extended period of time. It appears that compensation won’t be necessary, at least right away. However, as with any active negotiation, nothing should be considered resolved until contracts are officially signed.
So far, the dispute has followed a fairly familiar pattern. In late August, Fox appeared poised for its own carriage dispute with YouTube TV. At that time, the live TV streaming service informed customers that they could expect a bill credit if Fox channels were blacked out, just like in this case. And just hours before the blackout was set to take place, the two sides made a short-term deal as a prelude to a longer-term solution.
The chair of the FCC hasn’t weighed in on the NBC dispute as he did with the Fox one, which is the main difference in the cases so far. All in all, however, I’d expect NBC’s long-term carriage deal with YouTube TV to be announced soon, and it would hardly be a surprise to see the streamer follow a similar pattern with Disney when those rights next come up for negotiations.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV is a live TV streaming service with more than 60 channels for $82.99/month. This plan includes local channels 32 of the top 35 cable channels, and regional sports networks (RSNs) in select markets. The base plan includes more than 100 live channels, including major broadcast networks like ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC, as well as popular cable channels such as ESPN, CNN, FX, USA Network, and TNT. Local channels are included in most markets, making YouTube TV a full replacement for traditional cable for many viewers.