Millions of YouTube TV subscribers have avoided being in the dark for the opening weekend of college football, for now. YouTube announced late Wednesday a short-term extension in the streaming platform and network’s ongoing carriage dispute.
YouTube posted an update via their social media channels announcing the extension.
“We’ve reached a short-term extension with Fox to avoid service disruption for YouTube TV subscribers while we work on a new agreement,” said YouTube in a statement. “We’re committed to advocating on behalf of our members and will keep you posted on our progress.”
Fox has yet to comment on the short-term extension.
On Monday, YouTube TV posted that it is “actively negotiating” with Fox to reach “a fair deal for both sides.” In a blog post on their press site, the company warned, that if no agreement is reached by Wednesday, subscribers could lose access to all Fox-owned networks. That includes FOX Sports, FS1, and the Big Ten Network—channels carrying some of the sport’s most highly anticipated Week 1 matchups.
“We are working diligently with the team at Fox to reach an agreement,” wrote YouTube in a post on Monday. “We know this uncertainty is frustrating, and if Fox content becomes unavailable for an extended period of time, we will provide our members with a $10 credit.”
The potential blackout is particularly significant given Fox’s strong college football rights portfolio which kicks off on Saturday. The network is scheduled to broadcast several key contests this weekend, headlined by the noon clash between the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes and the Texas Longhorns. Fox also holds broadcast rights for Big Ten and Big 12 programming, meaning fans relying on YouTube TV could be cut off from a large portion of the sport’s national coverage.
Fox’s programming isn’t limited to college football. A blackout would also affect Major League Baseball’s late-season slate and the start of the NFL, which kicks off next month. This would also affect access to Fix business and news channels as well.
The standoff comes just weeks after Fox launched Fox One, its direct-to-consumer streaming service priced at $19.99 per month. It also comes with new data showing YouTube has now spent half a year as the leading company in share of TV viewing in the United States — and its lead grew in July.
The streamer had 13.4 percent of all TV use for the month, according to Nielsen’s Media Distributor Gauge for the July period (which covered June 30-July 27). It held a four-point lead over second-place Disney (9.4 percent), up from 2.8 percentage points (12.8 percent for YouTube, 10 percent for Disney) in June.
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