As Paramount Global aims to negotiate a new carriage deal for brands like CBS, MTV and Comedy Central with YouTube TV, its co-CEOs are signaling that a blackout of its channels on the service could be in the cards.
In a note to employees on Wednesday, Paramount co-chiefs George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy and Brian Robbins said that the company would begin to notify subscribers that its channels may be dropped by YouTube amid the standoff.
YouTube TV, which has emerged as a pay TV giant with 8 million subscribers to plans that now cost $82.99 a month, has become a key player in a space with competitors like Charter and Comcast. In its Feb. 4 earnings disclosure, Google reported that its subscriptions, platforms and devices business, which counts YouTube TV, saw revenue of $11.6 billion, up from $10.8 billion a year ago.
The Neal Mohan-led video giant, which has been focused on growing its audience share on TV sets, is also the exclusive home to NFL Sunday Ticket.
In January, Paramount inked a multiyear deal with Comcast to keep Paramount’s brands, including CBS, BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network and more, delivered to Xfinity customers.
The negotiation with Google-owned YouTube hasn’t been as agreeable, so far. “YouTube TV is attempting to pressure Paramount to agree to one-sided terms, and these non-market demands may lead to an avoidable loss of Paramount’s networks on YouTube TV,” a Paramount rep stated.
When reached for comment, a YouTube TV rep referred to a statement noting that on Feb. 13 Paramount content will be unavailable on its platform.
“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 TV without passing on additional costs to our subscribers. Unfortunately, despite our good faith negotiations, we haven’t been successful yet,” the YouTube rep stated.
In Nielsen’s monthly media distributor rankings, YouTube saw 11.1 percent of all TV use, while Paramount’s sprawling array of outlets clocked in with about 9.2 percent share in December.
The full memo from Paramount’s co-CEOs on the YouTube talks is below:
Team,
Our commitment to partnership is a true differentiator, including our successful track record of getting major deals done that underscore the demand for our premium portfolio of entertainment, news and sports networks. The reality is, you can’t have a successful video product without Paramount, one of the leading media families in TV viewing.
We also continue to modernize and broaden our relationships with distributors to create mutually beneficial value — driving not only our own business forward but also helping to transform the industry to better serve audiences.
In that same spirit of partnership, Paramount has been negotiating a renewal agreement with Google to provide YouTube TV subscribers with continued access to their favorite premium content from BET, CBS, CBS Sports Network, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network and more. Unfortunately, Google is unwilling to agree to reasonable terms consistent with the market, choosing to jeopardize the entertainment experience at the expense of consumers.
As a result, tonight we will begin warning subscribers that Google may drop all Paramount channels, in addition to Paramount+ and BET+ from YouTube Primetime Channels, when our contract expires on February 13. Many of you, your families and friends may be YouTube TV subscribers, so please feel free to share a link to KeepParamount.com, which will be updated with relevant news and information.
We remain hopeful that we can reach an agreement that fairly recognizes the full power of our brands and popular programming. Thank you to everyone for your hard work, support and dedication to our audiences and partners. We’ll update you as this situation develops in the coming days.
Best,
George, Chris, Brian