With the beginning of the NFL season looming, it’s additionally a window the place many TV contracts are up for renewal, and on Monday night, YouTube TV and Fox despatched out alerts indicating that their contract might come to an finish as quickly as August twenty seventh, at 5PM ET. Google-owned YouTube TV says that “Fox is asking for funds which might be far increased than what companions with comparable content material choices obtain,” whereas Fox claims that “Google is making an attempt to make use of its market energy to stress FOX to conform to unfavorable and one-sided phrases, prioritizing their very own pursuits over a good settlement for its buyer.”
Channels in danger embody Fox Information, Fox Enterprise, Fox Sports activities, and the Large Ten Community. However in areas the place Fox additionally owns the native broadcast community, a disruption might additionally price viewers entry to a bit of NFL video games, which is why the contract is up for renewal now. Awful Announcing factors out that the primary large sport on the slate is a school soccer matchup, Texas vs. Ohio State on Saturday, earlier than week considered one of NFL video games begins the next weekend.
Apart from navigating the shrinking attain and affect of conventional cable TV, one other complication for a brand new deal may very well be Fox’s just-launched Fox One direct-to-consumer streaming bundle, which at the moment consists of entry for pay TV subscribers at no extra cost to them over their current invoice. It’s unclear how which may have an effect on the negotiations, or outbursts from Trump and different politicians if Fox Information is unavailable to YouTube TV’s subscribers, which analyst MoffettNathanson recently estimated at 9.4 million.
YouTube TV’s announcement says that if they will’t attain a deal, then Fox One is an possibility for shoppers, and that it’s going to credit score members $10 “…if Fox content material turns into unavailable for an prolonged time frame.”