NBCU, YouTube TV Face Sept. 30 Blackout

NBCUniversal and YouTube TV are locked in a carriage-fee standoff with a Sept. 30 deadline; NBCU says it will pull its programming from the service if no deal is reached. A blackout would remove major sports and entertainment programming — including Sunday Night Football, NBA and Big Ten games, Premier League matches, WWE, Telemundo offerings, The Voice, The Real Housewives and the Oct. 4 premiere of Saturday Night Live — from YouTube TV. NBCU has launched consumer warnings and “digital attack” ads accusing Google/YouTube of seeking unfair terms and control, while YouTube TV says NBCU is demanding higher rates than those it charges consumers on Peacock and warns accepting them would force price increases. YouTube TV has pledged a $10 credit to subscribers if NBCU content is unavailable for an extended period. The dispute coincides with a separate renewal fight with TelevisaUnivision, follows recent carriage showdowns, and could dent YouTube TV’s roughly 8–10 million U.S. subscribers and complicate distribution for regional sports networks.