INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 17: A detail view of a NBC Sunday Night Football video camera during the first half between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on November 17, 2024 in Inglewood, California.
Ric Tapia | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images
YouTube TV subscribers may soon be without “Sunday Night Football,” “The Voice” and other NBCUniversal programming as the parties ramp up for a carriage dispute that could lead to a blackout at the end of the month.
CNBC reported the two sides could be headed for a potential blackout earlier Thursday. It’s a sign of YouTube’s relatively newfound muscle in streaming and television.
YouTube TV has about 10 million subscribers, according to people familiar the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.
NBCUniversal said in a statement that YouTube TV “has refused the best rates and terms in the market, demanding preferential treatment and seeking an unfair advantage over competitors to dominate the video marketplace — all under the false pretense of fighting for the consumer. The result: YouTube TV customers will lose access to NBCUniversal’s premium programming.”
Starting Thursday night, NBCUniversal will begin running messages for YouTube TV customers alerting them to the impending loss of networks if a deal isn’t reached.
NBCUniversal has never “gone dark” in its history in the U.S., both under the ownership of Comcast and General Electric before that, according to a company spokesperson.
YouTube TV issued its own statement Thursday, saying: “NBCUniversal is asking us to pay more than what they charge consumers for the same content on Peacock, which would mean less flexibility and higher prices for our subscribers. We are committed to working with NBCUniversal to reach a fair deal for both sides ahead of our current agreement expiring on September 30. If their content is unavailable for an extended period of time, we’ll offer our subscribers a $10 credit.”
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal, which owns CNBC. Versant would become the new parent company of CNBC upon Comcast’s planned spinoff of Versant.
