It seems that every few months a broadcasting network, satellite service, or streaming service are in a battle over broadcasting rights…better known as a battle over money.

The most recent such battle is between YouTube TV  and FOX. 

If a deal is not made, TV watchers who use YouTube TV for their viewing would lose their ability to watch any FOX programming.

Facing a major disruption, YouTube TV and FOX have agreed to a “short-term extension” of the current contract while negotiations continue.  There was no clarification of how long the “short-term” will be.

The current contract was set to expire at 5pm on August 27.  Had an extension not taken place, YouTube TV subscribers would have lost access to Fox Sports, Business and News…including broadcast of College football games this weekend.

YouTube issued a statement saying, “we are committed to advocating on behalf of our subscribers as we work toward a fair deal and will keep you updated on our progress.”

FOX had nothing further to add past confirming agreeing to the extension; however, earlier they had issued a statement on the negotiations saying it was, “disappointed that Google continually exploits its outsized influence by proposing terms that are out of step with the marketplace.”

In the typical they said/they said battle, YouTube said, “FOX was asking for payments that are far higher than what partners with comparable content offerings receive.” Adding, that they hoped to reach a deal that is “fair for both sides without passing on additional costs to our subscribers”.

YouTube has stated that if an outage occurs “for an extended period of time” they would issue a $10 credit to subscribers.  Currently the basic YouTube TV plan runs $82.99 per month.

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr added his two cents via a social media post telling them to “get a deal done”; adding “Google removing Fox channels from YouTube TV would be a terrible outcome.  Millions of Americans are relying on YouTube to resolve this dispute so they can keep watching the news and sports they want—including this week’s Big Game: Texas @ Ohio State.”

YouTube TV subscribers lost access to Disney channels – including ESPN – in 2021 for two days when the two sides could not agree to a deal.

FOX has launched a streaming service of their own “Fox One” starting at $19.99 per month.