YouTube, Fox agree to short-term extension

YouTube TV and Fox Corp. reached a “short-term extension” to keep the network’s channels on the Google-backed streaming television service.

The current deal between the two companies had been scheduled to expire Aug. 27, 2025, and the two sides had not reached a new agreement by then.

The companies had until 5 p.m. eastern that day to reach a new retransmission contract.

It was not clear how long the extension is good for, though the extension could help prevent subscribers from being unable to watch Fox’s upcoming NFL coverage.

YouTube TV, which is a vMVPD, had previously announced it would give subscribers a $10 per month credit if Fox Corp.’s networks are taken off the service for an “extended” amount of time if the companies cannot reach a new deal.

An outage would affect YouTube TV subscribers’ access to FNC, Fox Business Network, Fox Deportes, FS1, FS2 and the Big Ten Network as well as the streaming signals for Fox-owned stations in major markets.

Fox’s website dedicated to educating consumers about the potential outage, keepfox.com, did not list networks such as Fox Soul, Fox Weather or Live Now, which are available on YouTube TV, as being part of the deal.

Google has noted publicly that Fox Corp. is asking for “far higher” rates than its other content partners. Fox, meanwhile, says it is interested in reaching a “fair” deal with YouTube TV. Fox has said Google “continually exploits its outsize influence by preying on terms that are out of step with the marketplace.”

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Many network owners have been spurred to keep retransmission revenue up even as linear TV viewership declines. YouTube’s position as a streaming provider may put it at a strategic intersection between the linear and OTT worlds.