YouTube TV is about to become a little less of a deal. CNN is reporting that several channels owned by Paramount, including CBS, MTV, and Comedy Central will go dark on Feb. 13 unless the company can reach a deal with YouTube.
YouTube TV, which is owned by Alphabet, told its subscribers that it is “working hard to reach a fair agreement with Paramount that allows us to keep their channels,” but added that no deal has been reached yet. The channels would go dark on Thursday evening if no agreement is reached.
“Paramount is an important partner for us and as you can imagine, this is not the outcome that we want,” YouTube TV added in their statement. “We’re still in active conversations with Paramount and are hopeful we can come to an agreement to keep their content available on YouTube TV.”
Paramount, meanwhile, created a special webpage on which it accuses YouTube of “attempting to pressure Paramount to unfavorable and one-sided terms” and added that it has proposed a deal that will keep the channels available.
“Paramount has a long track record of successfully and amicably renewing partnerships with every major distributor, including several in recent months, and we will continue our efforts to reach a new agreement with YouTube TV,” a Paramount spokesperson said.
YouTube TV subscribers will be eligible for an $8 credit if Paramount channels are unavailable for an extended period of time, and they are also pushing subscribers to sign up for Paramount+ in the event that a deal doesn’t get done. Of course, part of the point of YouTube TV is that it can be a sort of all-in-one package.
