Photo illustration of the YouTube TV logo displayed on a smartphone, with the YouTube logo in the background.
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YouTube and Fox announced Friday that the companies had reached a deal to keep Fox News, Fox Sports and other Fox channels available on YouTube TV, following negotiations over a new distribution agreement.
The companies had earlier reached a short-term extension to prevent disruptions for YouTube TV subscribers.
“We’re pleased to have reached a deal that preserves the value of our service for our subscribers,” YouTube said in a statement shared with CNBC. YouTube, owned by Alphabet, as well as Fox did not disclose the financial terms of the agreement.
YouTube had said Monday that Fox was asking for payments “far higher than what partners with comparable content offerings receive.”
That comes after Fox launched Fox One, a standalone streaming service last week, costing $19.99 per month or $199.99 annually.
As a result of the standoff, YouTube had warned it may remove Fox Broadcast Network, Fox News and Fox Sports from its platform by 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
That could’ve seen YouTube TV subscribers miss out on a highly anticipated college football match between top-ranked Texas against reigning national champion and third-ranked Ohio State on Sunday, and possibly the start of the National Football League season early next month.
Brendan Carr, chair of the Federal Communications Commission, weighed in Friday, saying he was happy the two companies had reached a deal.
“This is great news for college football fans and avoids blackouts. Enjoy the games this weekend!” he said in a post on X.
YouTube TV pays broadcasters such as Fox to stream their channels and has roughly 9.4 million subscribers.
In addition to American football, Fox hosts Major League Baseball games, as well as the World Series, which is scheduled to start in late October.
The base plan for YouTube TV costs $82.99 per month and includes over 100 live channels.
YouTube is America’s leading media distributor in terms of audience engagement, capturing over 13% of TV watch-time in July, according to Nielsen.
— CNBC’s Jennifer Elias contributed to this report
