YouTube TV Drops Univision Networks Affecting Millions Amid Contract Dispute

YouTube TV and TelevisaUnivision have failed to reach a new carriage agreement, leading to the removal of Univision, UniMas, and other TelevisaUnivision channels from YouTube TV's service, affecting around 10 million subscribers. The dispute centers on Google’s proposal to move Univision from the basic package to a more expensive Spanish-language add-on, which TelevisaUnivision argues would raise costs by approximately 18% for Hispanic viewers and drastically reduce their revenue. The blackout occurred amid ongoing contract negotiations between YouTube TV and NBCUniversal, raising concerns about a potential second blackout involving NBC channels. TelevisaUnivision and several lawmakers have criticized Google's decision as insensitive, especially during Hispanic Heritage Month and a looming government shutdown, accusing Google of abusing its market power. YouTube TV justified the removal by citing low viewer consumption of TelevisaUnivision content on its platform and offered subscribers alternative ways to access some programming via YouTube channels and the ViX streaming service. The standoff remains unresolved, with negotiations ongoing for both TelevisaUnivision and NBCUniversal content.