The Fox broadcast network, Fox News and other Fox owned TV stations may be pulled from YouTube TV in the coming days, as the two companies appear engaged in a carriage dispute that is bursting into public view.
Fox on Monday began warnings customers that its channels were at risk of being pulled “unless Google engages in a meaningful way soon.”
According to YouTube, the deadline for their agreement is 5 PM ET on Wednesday, Aug. 27.
August and September are often critical times for carriage deals, as they coincide with the start of the NFL season. If the Fox channels do go dark, then YouTube customers in markets with a Fox-owned station would lose access to their local NFL games, as well as college football and the MLB playoffs.
Fox News, FS1, FS2, Big Ten Network, Fox Deportes, and Fox Business Network would also be impacted.
“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,” Fox said in a statement. “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.”
“Our current agreement with Fox is approaching its renewal date and we are in active and ongoing negotiations to continue carrying their content,” YouTube wrote in a blog post Monday. “Fox is asking for payments that are 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.”
Earlier this year, the Paramount channels, including CBS, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central were at risk of being pulled from YouTube TV in a similar dispute, though the two sides ultimately cut a deal, averting a blackout. Carriage disputes have become increasingly common and public in recent years, as network owners and distributors spar amid continued cord-cutting and changing consumer habits.
Last year, of course, saw Disney’s channels go dark, including ABC and ESPN, in a dispute with Charter Communications. Charter and Disney ultimately cut a deal that bundled Disney’s streaming products into its pay-TV offering.
The disputes usually only go public when the two sides hit some sort of impasse in negotiations.
The Fox dispute also comes as Fox has launched its Fox One streaming service, which is geared toward cord-nevers. Fox says it wants to make it available to everyone who pays for a traditional pay-TV service. YouTube, however, is advising its customers that if it does lose the Fox channels, they can subscribe to Fox One to get their Fox News or NFL fix.
YouTube says that if the Fox channels go dark for an extended period, it will give its customers a $10 credit.