Paramount and YouTube have a deal.
The entertainment company and the Google-owned video platform have cut a new carriage deal that will keep Paramount channels available on the YouTube TV video service.
The companies had warned earlier this week that they were at odds over a new deal, and said that CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, BET and other channels were at risk of going dark. They signed a short-term extension as talks continued, and on Saturday night, YouTube TV confirmed that an agreement had been reached.
“Members, we’re happy to share that we’ve reached a deal to continue carrying Paramount content on YouTube TV,” the company said. “That means you still have access to channels like CBS, CBS Sports, and Nickelodeon. Add-ons like Paramount+ with Showtime and BET+ also remain uninterrupted.”
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but YouTube TV added in its statement that “with this agreement, YouTube TV will continue to offer 100+ channels, while enabling more user choice in the future.”
“We are pleased to announce a renewed Paramount-Google agreement for the continued carriage of Paramount’s leading portfolio of entertainment, news and sports networks across YouTube TV’s platform,” a Paramount spokesperson added. “The multi-year deal also features an expanded streaming relationship, with the ongoing inclusion of Paramount+ with Showtime and BET+ among YouTube Primetime Channels and providing Google the right to make Paramount+ available to qualifying YouTube TV customers. We look forward to extending our long-standing partnership and giving audiences greater access to their favorite programming.”
Pay-TV providers like Comcast, Charter and YouTube TV have been seeking more flexible ways to bundle channels, with media companies typically seeking to offer all of their channels on the basic tiers of service.
Paramount’s co-CEOs George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy and Brian Robbins had also sent a note to Paramount staff alerting them to the dispute, underscoring the significance of the deal talks. YouTube TV has more than eight million subscribers, making it among the largest pay-TV providers, and the largest streaming pay-TV provider.