NBC (parent company Comcast,
Negotiations to keep NBC-Universal content on YouTube TV took an intriguing and melodramatic turn on Sunday when NBC tweeted a link to a "YouNeedChannels.com." At said site, users would find themselves with a veritable toolbox of means to attempt to coerce Google.
"NBCUniversal has a strong record of completing these network carriage agreements with hundreds of distributors without interruption. NBCUniversal doesn't like involving audiences in this process but feels a responsibility to inform YouTube TV subscribers and potential YouTube TV subscribers that 14+ of their favorite channels may be dropped," the company wrote on its site.
In responding to NBC, YouTube noted that the company "seeks the same rates that services of a similar size get from NBCU so we can continue offering YouTube TV to members at a competitive and fair price," and that it would renew the agreement if offered an "equitable" price. YouTube is prepared, however, to slash the subscription price of its TV product by $10 if NBC Universal decides to carry through on its threats.
Google is no stranger to carriage negotiation disputes, having engaged in a clash with Sinclair
Google has faced stiff accusations of anticompetitive behavior from firms such as Roku as a result of ongoing and previous disputes.
- https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/youtube-tv-and-nbc-programming-update/
- https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/27/22695937/nbcuniversal-youtube-tv-carriage-dispute
- https://gizmodo.com/youtube-tv-may-lose-14-nbc-universal-channels-this-week-1847751095
- https://9to5google.com/2021/09/26/youtube-tv-price-nbc/