Fox and Google have a deal.
Fox’s TV channels, including the Fox broadcast network, Fox News, and FS1, will remain available on YouTube TV, as the tech giant and the media company have come to terms on a new carriage deal, averting a blackout.
Financial terms of the new agreement were not disclosed, but it covers all of Fox’s suite of channels spanning broadcast, news and sports.
“We’re happy to share that we’ve reached an agreement with Fox to keep their content on YouTube TV, preserve the value of our service for our subscribers and offer more flexibility in the future,” YouTube wrote in a blog post Thursday evening. “This means that Fox channels, including the Fox Broadcast Network, Fox News, and Fox Sports, remain available for our subscribers along with 100+ channels and football fans will not miss any of the action this weekend.”
Fox began warning viewers of the risk of the channels being pulled earlier this week:
“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 at the time.
FCC chairman Brendan Carr on Tuesday tweeted “get a deal done Google!” effectively ramping up the pressure. YouTube TV, meanwhile, announced a new carriage deal with the conservative One America News Network beginning in Q4. The deal would have guaranteed that YouTube TV will have conservative options even if Fox News goes dark, with Newsmax also available.
The deadline for a deal had been 5 p.m. on Wednesday, but the companies agreed to a temporary extension as they hashed out deal points.
Typically carriage disputes — even public ones — are resolved before channels go dark. The next tipping point would have been Saturday, when Fox is scheduled to air the anticipated Ohio State-Texas college football game. Major events, like football games, are often used as cudgels to force a deal, with both the distributor and broadcaster eager to ensure the events are available to subscribers.
The NFL season, of course, also starts in just a few weeks.
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