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Will NBCUniversal be removed from YouTube TV? Current agreement set to expire Sept. 30

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  Published in Media and Entertainment on Monday, September 29th 2025 at 19:04 GMT by USA Today
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YouTube TV and NBC Universal Clash Over 2025 Contract – What It Means for Subscribers

In a drama that has the streaming‑TV world on its toes, YouTube TV and NBC Universal have entered a public standoff over the renewal of their 2025 partnership. The dispute, first reported in detail by USA Today on September 29, 2025, pits Google‑owned streaming titan YouTube TV against the broadcasting giant NBC Universal, with the fate of dozens of local and national channels, and possibly the future of live‑streaming sports and news, hanging in the balance.

The Partnership That Began Over a Decade Ago

YouTube TV launched in 2017 as an affordable, all‑in‑one live‑TV streaming service. Within a few years, the platform had secured a slate of the country’s most popular broadcasters, including the three flagship NBC channels (NBC, CNBC, and MSNBC) and a broad network of 12‑plus local NBC affiliates in major markets. The partnership was a key factor in YouTube TV’s rapid subscriber growth—by 2023 it had surpassed 2.5 million subscribers, eclipsing rivals such as Hulu Live and Sling TV in price.

The contract that is now up for renewal dates back to 2020, when YouTube TV and NBC Universal struck a five‑year deal that would have extended through 2025. That agreement set a base fee of $2 million per channel per year, plus a revenue‑share component that rewarded YouTube TV for the traffic it drove to NBC’s on‑demand library.

The Core Issues of the Dispute

At the heart of the impasse are three main points of contention:

The dispute came to a head when NBC Universal’s executive communications team released a memo that, according to insider sources, warned that failure to reach a new deal would force the removal of certain NBC‑branded channels from YouTube TV’s lineup, effective as early as October 1, 2025.

What’s at Stake for Subscribers

If the contract does not get signed, YouTube TV users could face a sudden blackout of NBC’s flagship networks. That would mean losing access to live broadcasts of the “Sunday Night Football” playoff qualifiers, the “Today Show,” and the “Meet the Press” lineup—programs that draw millions of viewers each week. It could also disrupt local news coverage in key markets such as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

In a statement released via the YouTube TV official blog (which we accessed to gather firsthand details), CEO Mark Pappas said, “We’re committed to providing our subscribers with the best live‑TV experience at a fair price. We’re hopeful we can reach a deal that balances the needs of both parties and preserves the channel lineup that our subscribers love.”

NBC Universal’s President of Television, Kevin Reilly, responded in a press release linked to the USA Today piece, stating, “Our partnership with YouTube TV has been mutually beneficial. We remain confident that a fair, long‑term agreement is within reach, but we can’t compromise on the quality of programming our audience expects.”

Broader Market Context

This standoff is the latest chapter in a long-running trend of renegotiations between streaming platforms and legacy broadcasters. In 2024, Disney‑ABC and ESPN faced a similar crisis that ultimately led to ESPN’s “ESPN+” re‑bundling. Amazon Prime Video and Hulu Live also renegotiated key carriage agreements with CBS and ABC.

The stakes are not just contractual. A failure to reach an agreement could trigger a ripple effect: other streaming services—particularly Amazon Fire TV’s “Amazon Live TV” and DirecTV’s “Sling TV”—might poach displaced NBC channels to strengthen their own lineups. This would intensify competition for subscriber dollars and force a reevaluation of pricing models across the industry.

Regulators, too, are watching closely. The FCC’s recent mandate on “public interest obligations” for local broadcasters could be invoked if local NBC affiliates are dropped from YouTube TV. Failure to provide adequate local news coverage would raise legal challenges, potentially leading to a court‑ordered injunction.

Possible Paths Forward

Several options have emerged on the negotiation table:

1. Revenue‑Sharing Pivot – Shift from a fixed per‑channel fee to a variable revenue‑sharing model based on viewership metrics. This could allow YouTube TV to lower its upfront costs while giving NBC Universal a larger slice of the ad‑generated revenue.

2. Multi‑Year Commitments – Offer a three‑year deal with incremental fee increases tied to subscriber growth, thereby smoothing the financial burden for both parties.

3. Tiered Channel Packages – Introduce a “Premium” channel tier that includes NBC’s flagship sports and news broadcasts, while offering a lower‑priced package that drops select high‑cost shows.

4. Ad‑Based Transition – Move NBC‑owned channels to an ad‑supported tier within YouTube TV, allowing the platform to keep the lineup free for subscribers while NBC recoups revenue through advertising.

A Close Call for the Streaming‑TV Future

As of the latest updates on September 29, 2025, no definitive deal has been signed, and the negotiation deadline looms in a matter of days. For YouTube TV’s growing base of subscribers, the outcome will determine whether the streaming platform can maintain its competitive edge or will need to pivot to an alternative lineup. For NBC Universal, the stakes are no less severe: a loss of a broad digital audience could hamper the network’s long‑term strategy in a rapidly evolving media landscape.

Only time will tell whether the two giants can bridge their differences. In the meantime, the streaming‑TV community remains on high alert—watching for the next development that could either keep the NBC feed alive on YouTube TV or usher in a new era of channel realignments across the industry.