Paramount-owned channels including CBS, Comedy Central and MTV are set to go dark on YouTube TV Thursday night if a contract renewal agreement is not reached, both companies say.
“The contract Paramount has with Google’s YouTube TV to carry CBS, Nickelodeon and 21 other networks is about to expire,” Paramount stated on a webpage devoted to the business disagreement. “YouTube TV is attempting to pressure Paramount to agree to unfavorable and one-sided terms.”
“We’ve been working hard to reach a fair agreement with Paramount that allows us to keep their channels, including CBS and CBS Sports, on YouTube,” Alphabet’s YouTube stated in a programming update. “If we can’t reach an agreement and their content is unavailable for an extended period of time, we’ll offer subscribers an $8 credit.”
YouTube TV also told customers that they can sign up for Paramount+ to continue watching CBS and related content.
Neither Paramount nor Google immediately responded to requests for comment.
The video service has more than 8 million subscribers, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan said last year.
The disagreement follows YouTube TV in January increasing the cost of its basic package by 10 bucks to $82.99 a month.
Kate Gibson
Kate Gibson is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch in New York, where she covers business and consumer finance.
