YouTube TV, Paramount reach deal to keep channels on streaming provider

YouTube TV and Paramount Global have avoided a blackout and agreed on a new retransmission deal that will keep CBS-owned stations and Paramount-owned cable networks on the virtual TV provider.

The companies had previously struck a deal for a short-term extension of their current agreement Feb. 14, 2025.

Financial terms of the new deal were not announced, which is typical for these types of agreements. It was announced that it is a multi-year agreement and covers both linear cable networks as well as cross-marketing deals with Paramount+  with Showtime. 

YouTube TV has grown to be the biggest vMPVD on the market, with around 8 million subscribers. Its subscriber counts in the U.S. are eclipsed only by Charter, Comcast and DirecTV, which still have a combined total of just under 40 million subscribers as of late 2024.

Meanwhile, Hulu+Live TV comes in at just under 4.5 million, Sling TV has 2.0 and Fubo has around 1.5 million subscribers, with providers such as Dish Network, Verizon FiOS and Altice filling out various spots on the top 10 list.

Thanks to its size, YouTube TV, which is owned by YouTube, which itself is part of Google parent Alphabet, likely commands a strong bargaining position, though its sheer scale also means that blackouts will have a wider impact.

YouTube TV has been involved in multiple blackout disputes before, but has made it a practice of crediting customers a fixed amount to make up for channels no longer being available.

Had Paramount-owned stations gone dark, YouTube TV viewers would not have been able to watch CBS on YouTube TV as well as networks including Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, MTV, BET, Paramount Network, CMT, Comedy Central, TV Land, Smithsonian Channel, Logo and Pop TV.

Advertisement