The contract between video streaming platform, YouTube and Comcast owned multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate, NBCUniversal will expire by Thursday, September 30 with YouTube explicitly announcing that it has been unsuccessful in reaching a new carriage arrangement with the platform, indicating that a renewal of the current collaborative agreement has hit the rocks.
The implication of this is that if by Thursday, a mew deal is not struck between the two companies, NBCUniversal content, like Sunday Night Football, Jimmy Fallon or Law and Order SVU, will no longer be available on YouTube TV.
NBCUniversal in a statement to warned subscribers on YouTube TV that they stand to lose 14 channels from their streaming lineups if carriage agreement terms are not reached between Google and NBCUniversal.
YouTube subscribers should then be prepared to lose NBC, Bravo, CNBC, E!, Golf Channel, MSNBC, Oxygen, SYFY, Telemundo, The Olympic Channel, Universal Kids, Universo, and USA Network.
Google appears to be more empathetic of the situation as it announced that if it was able to get equitable terms with NBCUniversal, it will gladly renew its agreement but in the event of a failure to do this, subscribers will have a discount for the duration of the NBC stations blackout that could begin Thursday.
“If we are unable to reach a deal by Thursday, the NBCU lineup of channels will no longer be available on YouTube TV and we will decrease our monthly price by $10, from $64.99 to $54.99 (while this content remains off our platform),” Google said.
It added: “You can sign up for NBC’s own direct-to-consumer streaming service, Peacock, which they offer for $4.99/month to continue watching NBCU content, such as Sunday Night Football.”
In a statement, NBCU said it is seeking fair rates from Google for YouTube TV.
“Unfortunately, Google is refusing to make a deal at these fair rates and is willing to withhold entertainment, news and sports programming from their paying customers,” NBCU said.
“NBCUniversal feels a responsibility to inform our fans that they are at risk of losing their favourite shows if Google continues with their demands.”
Subscribers can only hope that before Thursday, a quick resolution is reached between the two companies to be able to continue to enjoy entertaining contents on YouTube TV.
In the event of not being able to have that, they have to do with the temporal or even permanent loss of the stations on their YouTube TV screens.
Ayoola Faseyi, an Abuja based Journalist with interest in Technology and Politics. He is a versatile writer with articles in many renowned News Journals. He is the Co-Founder of media brand, The Vent Republic.
