The Academy Awards shifts from ABC to YouTube

Stunning deal builds streaming’s clout and is a huge blow to linear TV In a stunning deal with The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences – and one that could be the death knell to linear TV, Google’s YouTube – yes, the video portal where you can watch anything from cat videos to old commercials, has landed the Oscars […]

Disney the latest to come into YouTubeTV’s crosshairs

Threatens to pull ABC and ESPN channels a week from now As hinted at for the last few weeks, Google’s YouTubeTV and The Walt Disney Company are involved in a standoff over a new deal, with Disney warning customers they may lose their channels on October 30 at 11 p.m. CT if an agreement isn’t reached. Disney owns ESPN, Disney […]

NBCUniversal, YouTubeTV reach long-term agreement

Covers cable channels being spun off to Versant, is relaunching NBCSN  A day after reaching a short-term extension to stay on Google’s YouTubeTV, NBCUniversal announced a new long-term deal, which includes NBC, its owned stations, Bravo, Telemundo, and the soon-to-be spun-off cable channels to Versant: CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, SyFy, and others. Also included are NBC’s four regional sports network channels […]

YouTubeTV, NBCUniversal warn of impending blackout

    NBC prepared to take off channels Sept. 30 Just weeks after Fox Corp. and Google’s YouTube TV were involved in a retransmission dispute, another issue has emerged with NBCUniversal.  If a deal can’t be reached by Sept. 30, YouTubeTV subscribers could lose channels from the company, including NBC, Telemundo, Bravo, MSNBC, and CNBC, which broke the story Thursday. […]

Fox, YouTubeTV come to terms on a new agreement

Also: DirecTV Stream adds Weigel’s WCIU As expected after agreeing to a short-term extension, Fox Corporation and YouTubeTV reached an agreement on Thursday.  “We’re happy to share that we’ve reached an agreement with Fox to keep their content on YouTube TV, preserve the value of our service for our subscribers and offer more flexibility in the future. This means that […]

Fox wins last-minute stay of execution on YouTubeTV

Short-term extension to last through Friday The Wednesday 4 p.m. (CT) deadline came and went with Fox channels remaining on YouTubeTV as the two parties agreed to a short-term extension that lasts until Friday.  Update: We’ve reached a short-term extension with Fox to prevent disruption to our subscribers while we work on a new agreement. We’re committed to advocating on […]

Fox, YouTubeTV in carriage dispute

Channels could be off by Wednesday With football season set to kick off this weekend, Google’s YouTubeTV and Fox Corporation are at an impasse over a new carriage deal. If there is no deal by Wednesday at 4 p.m. (CT), YouTubeTV customers could lose Fox, Fox News, FS1, FS2, Fox Business, Fox Weather, Fox Nation, Big Ten Network, and 30 […]

YouTubeTV, Paramount reach agreement, avoid blackout

23 channels stay on service Days after YouTubeTV emailed subscribers (including this writer) that it was on the verge of losing 23 channels owned and/or operated by Paramount Global, the two reached a resolution Saturday night with a new deal.  Terms were not disclosed.  News of the impending blackout made news Wednesday night and intensified Thursday, as CBS ran ads […]

Paramount Global plans to pull networks, stations Thursday from YouTubeTV (updated)

  Latest carriage dispute comes out of nowhere Update, February 14, 12:36 a.m.: Paramount and YouTubeTV have agreed to a short-term extension of their previous contract, keeping CBS and 22 other channels on the virtual provider as they hammer out a new agreement. Neither party stated how long the extension would last.   Original Story from February 12: Another carriage dispute […]

CHSN struggles to gain distribution foothold

The move back to free, over-the-air TV for sports is hitting road bumps You would think making all games from the Chicago Blackhawks, Bulls, and White Sox available for free on broadcast television would be terrific for fans, right? Well, you might want to think again. Two weeks after the new Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) launched, the network is having […]

The Media Notepad: Report: New CHSN close to deal with DirecTV

Also: WGN-TV’s Jewell Hilary gets promoted; FCC head rejects Trump ABC license revocation request Three months after its official announcement, the Sun-Times reported Thursday the new Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) is close to a deal with DirecTV, DirecTV Stream, and U-Verse.  This comes as an email was sent to YouTubeTV subscribers (including me) Wednesday stating NBC Sports Chicago – the […]

The FAST rise of Xumo

A FAST streamer aiming to be just more than FAST You’ve probably heard of Xumo, one of those “FAST” apps in the streaming landscape competing with Pluto TV, Redbox, Amazon’s Freevee, and others in the growing Free Advertising Supported Television landscape, with over 190 channels dedicated to a wide variety of genres.  But Xumo is aiming for more as it […]

WGN-TV to join YouTube TV lineup

Nexstar strikes deal to bring local channels to vMVPD In a move that fills a gap, Nexstar struck a deal with the Google-owned YouTube TV, bringing powerhouse independent WGN-TV to Chicago subscribers. It’s part of a larger deal made by the Texas-based broadcaster, the biggest in the nation. The agreement either brings or expands existing station contracts with 59 outlets […]