Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr had sharp words for Google as the tech company navigates a new carriage deal between YouTube TV and Fox News: “Get a deal done Google!”
The current carriage deal is set to expire Wednesday at 5pm E.T.
“Google removing Fox channels from YouTube TV would be a terrible outcome,” Carr wrote on X. “Millions of Americans are relying on YouTube to resolve this dispute so they can keep watching the news and sports they want—including this week’s Big Game: Texas @ Ohio State. Get a deal done Google!”
YouTube TV currently carries Fox, Fox Sports, FS1, FS2, Big Ten Network, Fox Deportes, Fox News Channel and local Fox stations across the United States.
“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,” a Fox spokesperson told TheWrap in a statement Monday. “We are alerting Fox viewers who are YouTube TV subscribers that they could lose access to much of their favorite news, sports, entertainment and local station programming unless Google engages in a meaningful way soon.”
If the two parties do not come up with an agreement, it’s possible YouTube TV customers will no longer be able to access the NFL, college football, Big Ten Network and Major League Baseball.
In a blog post shared Monday, YouTube claimed Fox has requested payments “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,” the company also said.
YouTube TV is the fourth-largest pay TV operator behind Charter Communications, Comcast and DirecTV.
