Paramount, YouTube TV Reach Deal, Channels Won’t Go Dark

UPDATE 2/16: Surprise. Paramount and YouTube have reached a deal, putting an end to an another pointless public fight that subscribers had no power to influence anyway. Nothing is changing and YouTube TV users still have all their channels. “With this agreement, YouTube TV will continue to offer 100+ channels, while enabling more user choice in the future,” YouTube says, without elaborating on what that enhanced user choice entails.

UPDATE 2/14: Late Thursday night, YouTube TV said it had “reached a short-term extension” with Paramount, so its channels—including CBS and any recordings in your library—will remain accessible for now.

Original Story:
YouTube TV subscribers might lose access to Paramount-owned channels—including CBS, CBS Sports, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and MTV—if the two companies fail to reach a contract renewal agreement today.

“Despite our best efforts, we’ve been unable to reach a fair deal with Paramount to keep their channels on YouTube TV, and their channels may be unavailable tomorrow,” YouTube TV said in an X post on Wednesday evening.

On its website, Paramount says it made a series of offers to YouTube TV to continue their partnership at a fair price, but the Google-owned platform didn’t accept any of them.

“YouTube TV is attempting to pressure Paramount to agree to unfavorable and one-sided terms,” it says. “YouTube TV is prioritizing their own interests over a fair agreement.” 

If the two sides don’t reach an agreement, YouTube TV subscribers could lose access to 24 Paramount-owned channels and all of their recordings from those channels. 

These so-called “carriage agreement” disputes happen frequently. After reaching a stalemate at the negotiating table, the companies’ PR teams usually blast out notices to customers, arguing that the other one is in the wrong and urging people to contact their providers about it. In some cases, channels go dark for a period of time, but a deal is eventually reached. Credits are offered. Rinse and repeat.

And what do customers get for this? Price hikes. In December, YouTube TV hiked the price of its Base Plan by $10, from $72.99 per month to $82.99.

If Paramount channels remain “unavailable for an extended period of time,” YouTube TV says it will give subscribers an $8 credit, which they can claim from the YouTube TV website.

As The Hollywood Reporter notes, YouTube TV currently has 8 million subscribers and has emerged as a giant in the live TV streaming space. In our review of the platform, we recommended it as “a top option for cord-cutters thanks to excellent DVR tools, expansive channel variety, and terrific sports features.”

About Jibin Joseph

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Jibin is a tech news writer based out of Ahmedabad, India. Previously, he served as the editor of iGeeksBlog and is a self-proclaimed tech enthusiast who loves breaking down complex information for a broader audience.

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