Fox Channels Could Become Unavailable On YouTube TV Over Payment Dispute

Authored by Victoria Freedman via The Epoch Times,

YouTube said on Monday that several Fox channels could become unavailable on YouTube TV if the two companies do not reach a deal by Aug. 27.

Google-owned YouTube said in a blog post that it is negotiating to renew its deal to carry Fox channels, but said the media company is asking for fees “far higher” than those paid to other partners offering similar content.

“If we are unable to reach a new agreement by 5 PM ET on August 27, 2025, Fox channels, including Fox Sports, Business, and News, would become unavailable on YouTube TV. Content from these channels saved in your library would also become unavailable at this time,” the company said.

The video streaming platform said its priority is to ensure a deal that is fair for both companies, and that does not pass on additional costs to subscribers.

YouTube added that should Fox content become unavailable for an extended period of time, it would provide subscribers with a $10 credit. Users will also be able to watch Fox content by signing up for Fox’s streaming service, Fox One, YouTube said.

YouTube has partnerships with content providers such as Fox, Paramount, and CNN to offer their channels through its subscription-based streaming service, YouTube TV.

Fox Corporation said in a statement emailed to The Epoch Times on Tuesday: “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.

“We are alerting FOX viewers who are YouTube TV subscribers that they could lose access to much of their favorite news, sports, entertainment and local station programming unless Google engages in a meaningful way soon.”

The corporation launched the website KeepFox.com to keep viewers updated on the progress of negotiations. On the website, it highlights that YouTube TV customers “could be deprived of some of the fall’s biggest television sporting events,” including NFL and College Football on FOX, if the partnership expires.

Paramount Global Renews Partnership

In February, YouTube TV and Paramount Global—which owns channels including CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, and Nickelodeon—renewed their partnership, after negotiations had earlier stalled.

In a statement provided to The Epoch Times, a Paramount spokesperson said at the time that the company looked forward to extending its “long-standing partnership,” and continuing to give subscribers access to their favorite programming.

“We are pleased to announce a renewed Paramount-Google agreement for the continued carriage of Paramount’s leading portfolio of entertainment, news, and sports networks across YouTube TV’s platform,” the statement said.

Paramount previously cited “one-sided terms” and “non-market demands” as the main reasons for stalled negotiations.

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

Growth of Streaming

According to a February 2024 letter from YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, YouTube TV had over 8 million subscribers. In December 2024, the company raised its monthly subscription price by $10, from $72.99 to $82.99, more than double the original $35-a-month price at its launch in 2017.

According to the latest figures from audience analytics company Nielsen, streaming accounted for nearly half (47.3 percent) of all TV viewing in July.

Nielsen’s The Gage—which is a monthly snapshot of total streaming, cable, and broadcast consumption through a television screen—found that the streaming share was followed by cable (22.2 percent), broadcast (18.4 percent), and other sources (12.1 percent).

In terms of streaming, YouTube Main (excluding YouTube TV) set a platform record in July, with 13.4 percent of the viewership, followed by streaming giant Netflix at 8.8 percent.

The Gage said that YouTube viewing grew by 2 percent with 18- to 24-year-old viewers, itself the largest increase among age demographics (up 8 percent).

The streaming market share has been growing in recent years, with Nielsen reporting in June that streaming had hit a then-record 44.8 percent of total TV usage in May, more than broadcast (20.1 percent) and cable (24.1 percent) combined.

“While the milestone of streaming exceeding traditional TV viewership is almost certainly not permanent, it presumably will be in the near future,” The Gage said.