- Late Thursday night, YouTube TV and Paramount agreed to what’s being called a “short-term deal” to keep the Paramount networks on the platform while negotiations over a contract dispute continue.
- Without the 11th-hour temporary deal, some two dozen channels would have gone dark on the streaming service.
- Meanwhile, the NCAA tournament begins March 20 on CBS and The Masters golf tournament, also on CBS, begins April 11.
Full Story
A contract showdown between two entertainment giants, YouTube TV and Paramount, could prompt YouTube TV to remove all 24 of the network’s channels from its service.
However, a temporary solution was reached just before the Feb. 13 deadline. In a blog post, YouTube TV announced the two sides have agreed to a “short term extension” to keep the Paramount networks on the platform while negotiations continue.
There was no word from either side as to how long the “short term” agreement will last.
YouTube TV, which Google owns, has grown into one of the most popular programming distributors available. CEO Neal Mohan says they have 8 million customers.
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The company posted a message on its official blog, reading in part, “We’ve been working hard to reach a fair agreement with Paramount that allows us to keep their channels, including CBS and CBS Sports, on YouTube TV without passing on additional costs to our subscribers. Unfortunately, despite our good faith negotiations, we haven’t been successful yet.”
Some of the 24 networks that could go dark on YouTube TV include Nickelodeon, MTV, Paramount Network, BET, Comedy Central, CBS and the CBS Sports Network. The latter two are especially important to sports fans.
On March 20, the NCAA tournament will tip off on CBS and its partner networks. Last year’s tournament earned some of the highest ratings in years. For example, the first day of second-round games drew an average of 10.8 million viewers.
If the dispute pushes into April, fans will miss out on the highest-rated golf tournament of the year, the Masters Tournament, which draws close to 10 million viewers during its Sunday, April 13, final round.
Paramount responded to the possible interruption by creating a website with its own talking points. It includes the headline, “YouTube is trying to pressure Paramount to agree to unfavorable and one-sided terms.”
The dispute arises just weeks after YouTube TV raised its prices by $10 per month to $82.99. YouTube said it would give its customers an $8 credit if Paramount content “is unavailable for an extended period of time.”
