YouTube TV Subscribers to Lose Paramount Channels After Stalled Contract Negotiations

A silhouette of a mobile user next to a screen projection of Youtube logo on March 28, 2018. Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters

YouTube TV and Paramount Global have failed to come to a contract renewal agreement, leaving subscribers of the streaming television platform without some channels.

In an update posted to its website on Feb. 12, YouTube TV alerted customers that Paramount channels—which include CBS and CBS Sports, BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, and more—will be unavailable starting Feb. 14.

“We’ve been working hard to reach a fair agreement with Paramount that allows us to keep their channels ... on YouTube TV without passing on additional costs to our subscribers,” said the company.

“Unfortunately, despite our good faith negotiations, we haven’t been successful yet.”

Meanwhile, in a statement provided to The Epoch Times, a Paramount spokesperson said YouTube TV was attempting to pressure the company into accepting “one-sided terms” and “non-market demands,” but said YouTube is still open to negotiations in the future.

“We have made a series of fair offers to continue our long-standing relationship with Google’s YouTube TV, providing subscribers access to the full array of Paramount’s entertainment, news and sports programming,” read the statement.

“Paramount has a long track record of successfully and amicably renewing partnerships with every major distributor, including several in recent months, and we will continue our efforts to reach a new agreement with YouTube TV.”

If a deal cannot be reached, YouTube TV will provide an $8 dollar credit to subscribers if Paramount content is unavailable for an extended period of time.

YouTube TV highlighted Paramount as “an important partner,” noting users can still get access to its shows and movies by signing up for the Paramount+ streaming service which starts at $7.99 a month.

Meanwhile, in a recent memo to employees reviewed by The Epoch Times, Paramount’s co-CEOs George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy, and Brian Robbins spoke of their track record in keeping committed partnerships for the company’s “premium portfolio of entertainment, news and sports networks.”

“We also continue to modernize and broaden our relationships with distributors to create mutually beneficial value—driving not only our own business forward but also helping to transform the industry to better serve audiences,” read the memo.

In the past, YouTube TV has faced other contract distribution disagreements, including a two-day blackout in a dispute with Disney in 2021, which revoked subscriber access to channels like ESPN, ABC, and FX.

As of February 2024, YouTube TV had over 8 million subscribers and is considered the largest internet-delivered pay-TV service in the nation.

Back in December, the company raised its monthly subscription price by $10 dollars, from $72.99 to $82.99. The service has more than doubled from its original $35-a-month price at launch in 2017.