After warnings that Paramount content material was about to vanish from Google’s pay TV service YouTube TV, the businesses introduced late Saturday that the’d reached a deal that averting any disruption to channel availability.
Those bulletins didn’t embrace many specifics concerning the settlement, however a press release from a Paramount spokesperson stated it contains “an expanded streaming relationship.” So not solely will YouTube Primetime Channels proceed to supply streaming providers Paramount+ With Showtime and BET+ as add-ons, however Google additionally will get “the right to make Paramount+ available to qualifying YouTube TV customers.”
YouTube TV isn’t any stranger to high-profile contract disputes with media firms, together with Disney. In its personal announcement, Google stated, “We’re happy to share that we’ve reached a deal to continue carrying Paramount channels, including CBS, CBS Sports, Nickelodeon and more … To our subscribers, we appreciate your patience while we negotiated on your behalf.”
The firm had warned in an earlier weblog submit that each one Paramount content material, together with CBS and CBS Sports, would disappear from YouTube TV on February 13. There was a short-term deadline extension when the businesses seemed to be near a deal.
At the time, Google stated it was “fighting for an agreement that avoids passing along additional costs and offers [subscribers] more flexibility in how you watch your favorite sports and shows.” (Pay TV suppliers have reportedly been preventing for extra versatile methods to bundle channels, significantly on the fundamental tiers of their providers.)
Meanwhile, Paramount’s co-CEOs George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy, and Brian Robbins despatched workers an inner memo describing Google as “unwilling to agree to reasonable terms consistent with the market, choosing to jeopardize the entertainment experience at the expense of consumers.”
“The reality is, you can’t have a successful video product without Paramount, one of the leading media families in TV viewing,” the CEOs stated.
