Summary
- YouTube TV nearly lost all Paramount channels due to a distribution disagreement, but the two companies reached an agreement on Saturday.
- A short-term extension was agreed upon to maintain access to Paramount content before this deal was struck.
- YouTube TV had a similar dispute with Disney back in 2021, leading to the temporary removal of several channels from the platform.
YouTube TV users were in for a bit of a surprise before the weekend as the platform emailed users about the potential removal of all Paramount content on the platform, including CBS and Nickelodeon, over the inability to reach a distribution agreement. Thankfully, there was light at the end of the tunnel as YouTube TV said it had struck a short-term extension with Paramount to maintain uninterrupted access to its content while the two discussed terms for a more conclusive deal. Those talks appear to have borne fruit.
In a post on X/Twitter late on Saturday, the YouTube TV team said they’ve “reached a deal to continue carrying Paramount content,” with add-ons like BET+ and Paramount+ with Showtime also continuing to function as usual. In addition to the X post you see above, YouTube TV also posted a support page notice detailing the development (via 9to5Google).
That didn’t take long
This finally brings an end to days of uncertainty over the future of Paramount content on YouTube TV. However, given the history of these distribution disputes, there was always going to be one outcome. Back in 2021, all Disney-run channels went offline on YouTube TV over a similar disagreement, with a deal being struck eventually. So this isn’t Google or YouTube TV’s first rodeo.
More importantly, subscribers are just getting used to the recent price increase, and YouTube TV could ill afford Paramount’s extensive lineup of content — which includes both local and national stations — to go offline. This possibly explains why YouTube TV promised to give back $8 to subscribers if their discussions with Paramount didn’t go through.
As for the December 2024 YouTube TV price increase, the platform did its best to keep some users onboard with $10 discounts. Despite this initial act of kindness, YouTube TV has stuck with the revised pricing, with a subscription for the base plan now costing $83/month. YouTube TV is currently running a promotion on this plan wherein new subscribers only have to pay $69.99/month for six months.
