YouTube TV, Univision Resolve Dispute, Reinstating Channels After Month-Long Blackout
YouTube TV, Google's live TV streaming service, and Univision, a major Spanish-language broadcaster, have been in a high-profile contract dispute. The disagreement, which became public in late November 2021, led to the removal of Univision's channels from YouTube TV's lineup. The issue was resolved in January 2022, with the channels being reinstated following negotiations.
The dispute centered around Univision's demand for a significant increase in retransmission fees, which Google deemed unjustified. This resulted in the removal of popular channels like Univision and UniMás, as well as Spanish-language sports and news channels. Notably, a blackout was averted in December when NBCUniversal granted YouTube TV a short-term extension for contract talks. However, the outage occurred during a significant news event, the federal government shutdown, which Univision journalists were covering. YouTube TV proposed moving Univision to a more expensive Spanish-language add-on package, which Univision argued would amount to an 18% fee increase for its Spanish-language viewers. The move drew criticism from Congressional Republicans, who accused Google of abusing its market power. Despite the controversy, YouTube TV remains the dominant video service in the U.S., with over 120 million active daily users and 10 million customer homes.
The contract dispute between YouTube TV and Univision, which began in late November 2021 and was resolved in January 2022, highlights the complex negotiations between content providers and streaming services. The temporary removal of Univision's channels and the subsequent reinstatement serve as a reminder of the importance of these talks in ensuring viewers have access to their preferred content.
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