NBCUniversal is warning viewers of a potential blackout on YouTube TV as a Sept. 30 deadline looms for negotiations — the latest in the pending carriage dispute between the media company and the distributor.
“Google, with its $3 trillion market cap, already controls what Americans see online through search and ads—now it wants to control what we watch. YouTube TV has refused the best rates and terms in the market, demanding preferential treatment and seeking an unfair advantage over competitors to dominate the video marketplace,” an NBCU spokesperson told TheWrap in a statement, “all under the false pretense of fighting for the consumer. The result: YouTube TV customers will lose access to NBCUniversal’s premium programming, including Sunday Night Football, NBA, Big Ten Football, WWE, Premier League, Saturday Night Live, The Voice, The Real Housewives, and much more.”
However, YouTube expressed a strikingly different sentiment amid the new back and forth.
“NBCUniversal is asking us to pay more than what they charge consumers for the same content on Peacock, which would mean less flexibility and higher prices for our subscribers,” a YouTube spokesperson said in a statement to media. “We are committed to working with NBCUniversal to reach a fair deal for both sides ahead of our current agreement expiring on Sept. 30. If their content is unavailable for an extended period of time, we’ll offer our subscribers a $10 credit.”
The negotiations come as YouTube TV is already facing a heated carriage dispute with TelevisaUnivision, which also could result in a blackout should negotiations not settle by Tuesday. That would mean both major Hispanic broadcasters, Univision and NBCU-owned Telemundo, would be unavailable to YouTube’s roughly 10 million U.S. subscriber base.
Upcoming programming that would be impacted by the blackout includes Sunday Night Football, the NBA and new seasons “The Voice” and “Saturday Night Live,” which is set to return on Oct. 4.
YouTube TV faced a similar headline-making carriage dispute in August with Fox Corporation, eventually reaching to renew their deal and avoiding a blackout by hours.
