YouTube TV reaches new deal to keep Paramount content

After warnings that Paramount content was about to disappear from Google’s pay TV service YouTube TV, the companies announced late Saturday that they’d reached a deal that averts any disruption to channel availability.

Those announcements didn’t include many specifics about the agreement, but a statement from a Paramount spokesperson said it includes “an expanded streaming relationship.” So not only will YouTube Primetime Channels continue to offer streaming services Paramount+, with Showtime and BET+ as add-ons, but Google also gets “the right to make Paramount+ available to qualifying YouTube TV customers.”

YouTube TV is no stranger to high-profile contract disputes with media companies, including Disney. In its own announcement, Google said, “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 company had warned in an earlier blog post that all Paramount content, including CBS and CBS Sports, would disappear from YouTube TV on February 13. There was a short-term deadline extension when the companies appeared to be close to a deal.

At the time, Google said 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 providers have reportedly been fighting for more flexible ways to bundle channels, particularly at the basic tiers of their services.)

Meanwhile, Paramount co-CEOs George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy, and Brian Robbins sent employees an internal 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 said.