CBS and several other Paramount channels set to go dark on YouTube TV
Paramount channels went dark on YouTube TV on February 13.
By Jordan Valinsky, CNN
New York (CNN) — Several channels owned by Paramount Global, including CBS, Comedy Central and MTV, will soon disappear from YouTube TV on Thursday if the two companies don’t reach a contract renewal.
YouTube TV, owned by Alphabet, told its customers that it’s “working hard to reach a fair agreement with Paramount that allows us to keep their channels,” but despite negotiations, it hasn’t “been successful yet.” The channels will go dark tonight if a deal isn’t reached.
“Paramount is an important partner for us and as you can imagine, this is not the outcome that we want,” YouTube TV said in a statement. “We’re still in active conversations with Paramount and are hopeful we can come to an agreement to keep their content available on YouTube TV.”
Paramount said on a special webpage that YouTube TV is “attempting to pressure Paramount to unfavorable and one-sided terms” and that it’s proposing a “comprehensive deal” to keep its channels on the service.
“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,” a Paramount spokesperson told CNN.
Subscribers of YouTube TV can get an $8 credit on its website if Paramount’s channels are “unavailable for an extended period of time.” YouTube TV is also telling people to sign up for Paramount+ to keep watching CBS and other content.
The dispute comes a month after YouTube TV hiked the prices of its basic package by $10 to $82.99 per month. The service has around 8 million subscribers and is the most popular internet-based pay-TV service, surpassing competitors like DirecTV Stream and Fubo.
YouTube TV has previously clashed with Disney in 2021, when its collection of channels disappeared on the service for two days before a contract renewal was struck.
The-CNN-Wire
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Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated when the channels will go dark. Paramount stations and CBS are set to leave YouTube TV at 11 pm ET Thursday.
