YouTube TV and NBCUniversal strike deal to avoid abandoned channels

Good news, YouTube TV subscribers: Sunday night football is not going anywhere. After a controversial public confrontation over a contractual dispute, YouTube TV and NBCUniversal have finally reached a deal that will keep NBCU’s programming on the platform.

“We are delighted to share that we have reached an agreement to continue to offer the entire NBCUniversal channel portfolio,” the streaming service owned by Google. announcement Saturday. “This means you won’t lose access to any of their channels, and YouTube TV will continue to offer over 85 networks for $ 64.99. We appreciate NBCUniversal’s willingness to work towards a deal, and we also appreciate your patience as we negotiated with them on your behalf.

The fate of NBCU’s 14 channels on YouTube TV, which include NBC, Bravo, E !, and several regional sports networks, remained uncertain as the two companies clashed over distribution terms in the days leading up to the 30th. September, when their existing contract was set to expire. The two agreed on a “short extension” of the contract in a deal at midnight Thursday, but whether that short-term fix would end in a final deal or whether NBCU’s channels would go out on the platform was to be seen.

Like YouTube, NBCU also had good things to say about these long negotiations that were finally coming to an end.

“We are delighted to have entered into an agreement with YouTube TV and can continue to offer our full portfolio of networks, without interruption,” a company spokesperson said in a statement to PFT, a subsidiary of NBC Sports. “YouTube is a valued partner and we never want to get our fans involved in a dispute, but we felt obligated to let them know what was at stake. We thank our viewers for their loyalty and promise to continue bringing the networks to them. and the programs they like.

Neither company has given more details on the terms of the deal. We have reached out to YouTube and NBCU to find out more and will update this blog when we have a response.

Negotiations that would have paralyzed was NBCU’s request for YouTube TV to bundle its streaming service, Peacock, as a condition for its offerings to remain on the platform. YouTube TV objected to these conditions, arguing that NBCU should treat it “like any other television provider” and that it “seeks the same rates as those obtained by services of a similar size” from the media giant.

If the two companies had not come to an agreement, YouTube TV initially proposed to lower the monthly price of the service by $ 10, from $ 64.99 to $ 54.99, to appease customers inconvenienced by the loss of access to these 14 channels. But with a new deal made, that price will stay the same.