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Fox and YouTube TV have completed a full carriage deal, ending a dispute that had threatened to mar the start of the college and pro football seasons.
The network and Google-owned streaming service said late Thursday they finalized the master agreement, advancing beyond a short-term contract extension struck the previous day. The pact keeps Fox programming on the No. 4 U.S. pay-TV distributor, with an estimated 9.4 million subscribers.
“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 TV said in a statement. “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.”
That comment particularly references the upcoming college football mega-clash set for Saturday between No. 1 Texas and No. 3 and defending national champion Ohio State.
Terms of the agreement were not immediately available. The two sides had disagreed about proposed fees for Fox programming, with the network alleged to be seeking “payments that are far higher than what partners with comparable content offerings receive,” according to YouTube TV. The network countered that “Google continually exploits its outsized influence by proposing terms that are out of step with the marketplace.”
Distribution disputes such as this have become an annual tradition marking the start of college and pro football season, with this matter following a separate battle between ESPN parent Disney and Charter Communications two years ago, and another between Disney and DirecTV last year.
The latest one, however, drew close attention from Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr, who weighed in on the situation and publicly called on Google to strike a deal.
Within minutes of the announcement of the larger deal Thursday night, Carr praised the resolution.
“I’m very pleased that Google and Fox have now reached a deal,” he said in a social media post. “This is great news for college football fans and avoids blackouts. Enjoy the games this weekend!”
YouTube TV’s situation with Fox also resembled a separate dispute last spring with CBS Sports parent Paramount, one in which a short-term extension also preceded a larger agreement.
