YouTube TV, Paramount Reach Temporary Extension to Avoid Blackout

Deadlines spur action.

YouTube TV and Paramount reached a “short-term extension” of their contract late Thursday, narrowly averting a channel blackout on the streaming service that would have included CBS and the CBS Sports Network just weeks before March Madness basketball.

Just as the 11 p.m. ET deadline was approaching and Paramount-owned channels were on the brink of disappearing from the No. 4 U.S. pay-TV distributor, with more than eight million subscribers, the Google-owned streamer announced it reached an extension that will permit carriage negotiations to continue.

“YouTube TV subscribers continue to have access to Paramount channels, including CBS, and any recordings in their library,” the company said in a blog post. “We appreciate your patience as we continued to negotiate on your behalf. We also value Paramount’s partnership and willingness to work towards an agreement.”

There is no specific timeframe referenced in the announcement, but the tone of YouTube TV’s statement is a significant shift from the vitriol that had gone back and forth between the two sides.

Just over 24 hours earlier, Wednesday evening, YouTube TV had tweeted, “We work hard to bring you the content you love, delivered the way you want. Despite our best efforts, we’ve been unable to reach a fair deal with Paramount to keep their channels on YouTube TV and their channels may be unavailable tomorrow.”

If the sides are unable to reach a long-term agreement, major upcoming sports events on CBS such as March Madness and the Masters stand at risk for YouTube TV subscribers.