YouTube TV at Risk of Dropping Fox Channels This Week

Many TV contracts are up for renewal during the upcoming NFL season, and on Monday night, YouTube TV and Fox issued notifications suggesting that their contracts may expire as early as August 27 at 5 PM ET. While Fox asserts that “Google is trying to use its market power to pressure FOX to agree to unfavorable and one-sided terms, prioritizing their own interests over a fair agreement for its customer,” Google-owned YouTube TV asserts that “Fox is asking for payments that are far higher than what partners with comparable content offerings receive.”

Fox News, Fox Business, Fox Sports, and the Big Ten Network are among the channels that are in risk. The contract is currently up for renewal since a disruption could potentially deny viewers access to a portion of NFL games in places where Fox also controls the local broadcast network. The first major event on the schedule is a college football game between Texas and Ohio State on Saturday. Week one of NFL games begins the following weekend, according to Awful Announcing.

A new agreement may also be complicated by Fox’s recently introduced Fox One direct-to-consumer streaming package, which offers access to pay TV subscribers at no extra cost over their current bill, in addition to negotiating the declining reach and power of traditional cable TV. It’s unclear how that may impact the negotiations or Trump and other politicians’ outbursts if YouTube TV’s 9.4 million customers lose access to Fox News, as analyst Moffett Nathanson recently estimated.

According to YouTube TV’s release, users have the option of using Fox One if they are unable to come to an agreement. Members will receive a $10 credit “…if Fox content becomes unavailable for an extended period of time.”