YouTube TV has secured a new agreement with Paramount, ensuring that channels like CBS, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and MTV remain on the platform. This deal comes just days after stalled negotiations over a contract renewal briefly put their streaming partnership in jeopardy.
“We’re happy to share that we’ve reached a deal to continue carrying Paramount channels, including CBS, CBS Sports, Nickelodeon, and more,” YouTube announced in a statement Saturday night.
“With this agreement, YouTube TV will continue to offer 100+ channels and add-ons, including Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, and will enable more user choice in the future.”
The statement concluded with a message to YouTube TV subscribers, thanking them for their “patience” as the company “negotiated on [their] behalf.”
YouTube, owned by Google, launched YouTube TV in 2017 as a subscription-based television streaming service, partnering with both broadcast and cable networks to provide a wide range of programming.
Until Saturday, it was uncertain whether YouTube TV’s previous agreement with Paramount, which allowed the platform to stream multiple channels under the network’s umbrella, would be extended for another year. Negotiations had stalled over a dispute regarding carriage fees.
Carriage fees are payments that paid TV providers like YouTube make to broadcasters like Paramount for the rights to air their content. In recent years, conflicts over these fees have become more frequent, occasionally leading to service disruptions for viewers.
In the days leading up to the agreement, Paramount accused YouTube TV of pushing for “one-sided terms” that benefited the streaming service, while YouTube countered that it was “working hard to reach a fair agreement with Paramount that allows us to keep their channels.”
To prevent an interruption in service for subscribers, YouTube TV announced a “short-term extension” on Thursday, allowing customers to continue watching Paramount channels while contract talks continued beyond the original deadline.
YouTube TV has more than 8 million subscribers, according to YouTube CEO Neal Mohan. The dispute with Paramount followed a January price hike that increased the cost of YouTube TV’s basic subscription package by $10 per month.
CBS News is owned by Paramount Global, which also operates the streaming service Paramount+.
