YouTube TV and Fox have reached a new carriage agreement, avoiding a blackout that could have left millions of streaming subscribers without access to key sports broadcasts just as the college football and NFL seasons kick off.
The deal, announced Thursday, covers the full slate of Fox networks, including the Fox broadcast channel, Fox News, FS1, and the Big Ten Network. Neither company shared the financial terms or length of the agreement. A Fox spokesperson told The Athletic there were “no further details to share.”
YouTube confirmed the news in a blog post, writing: “We’re happy to share that we’ve reached an agreement with Fox to keep their content on YouTube TV, preserve the value of our service for our subscribers and offer more flexibility in the future. This means that Fox channels… remain available for our subscribers, along with 100+ channels, and football fans will not miss any of the action this weekend.”
Negotiations had gone down to the wire. The companies were supposed to reach a deal by 5 p.m. ET Wednesday but extended talks late into the night, hinting a resolution was close.
For sports fans, the agreement is a major relief. Fox Sports holds rights to some of the biggest games of the season, including Saturday’s marquee college matchup between No. 1 Texas and No. 3 Ohio State, as well as the start of NFL regular-season broadcasts on Sunday, September 7.
The standoff had turned heated earlier in the week. YouTube TV accused Fox of demanding fees “far higher than what partners with comparable content offerings receive,” arguing it wanted a deal that wouldn’t drive up costs for subscribers. Fox fired back, saying it was “disappointed that Google continually exploits its outsized influence by proposing terms that are out of step with the marketplace.”
The renewal also comes as Fox pushes deeper into direct streaming. Last week, the company rolled out FOX One, a new $19.99-a-month service (or $199.99 annually) that includes Fox Sports programming and comes with a seven-day free trial.
