Key Points:
- Televisa-Univision is warning YouTube TV subscribers its channels could be dropped if no new deal is reached by September 30.
- Google says Univision’s demands are too high and not justified by its performance on YouTube TV over the last four years.
- Losing YouTube TV distribution could cut Univision’s reach to an estimated 9 million households, raising stakes beyond last year’s dispute with Fubo.
Spanish-language television broadcaster Televisa-Univision is warning its viewers of a potential carriage dispute with Google-owned streaming service YouTube TV.
A distribution contract that allows YouTube TV to offer local and national feeds of Univision, Unimas, Galavision and other channels runs through September 30, and both sides are currently discussing a new agreement — but that deal might result in streamers paying more to access Televisa-Univision’s networks.
On Tuesday, Televisa-Univision began notifying its viewers about the matter, accusing Google of wanting to relegate its channels into a pricier add-on that it likened to a “Hispanic tax.”
Officials at Google don’t dispute this, saying in a statement that the broadcaster is making demands that “aren’t supported by their performance on YouTube TV over the last four years.”
“If we cannot reach a fair deal by September 30, their programming will no longer be available on YouTube TV,” the Google spokesperson said. “Our carriage decisions are based on viewer consumption and pricing, and any suggestion to the contrary is false.”
YouTube TV currently offers Univision and Unimas as part of its base programming package, which costs $83 per month and includes around 100 broadcast channels and cable networks. The Spanish sports channel TUDN and national network Galavision are also offered in the base package.
YouTube TV also offers a Spanish tier of channels that costs $15 per month when purchased as part of YouTube TV’s base subscription package or $35 per month on its own.
If a dispute does occur, it will be the second time in two years that Televisa-Univision’s channels have lost distribution on a major streaming platform. Last year, the company’s networks were pulled from sports-centric streamer Fubo after Televisa-Univision purportedly demanded a 25 percent rate increase for its channels.
The programming dispute wound up hurting both sides: Fubo saw its subscriber count dip to 1.47 million paying customers during the first quarter (Q1) of 2024, with the streamer blaming higher churn on the loss of Univision. Televisa-Univision saw its U.S. advertising revenue drop 13 percent during the same period.
This time around, the stakes could be higher for Televisa-Univision: While Google doesn’t release definitive subscriber figures on a regular basis, some financial analysts estimate that YouTube TV has around 9 million subscribers, making it the largest streaming cable TV alternative in the country. If Univision’s channels are pulled from YouTube TV, its household reach will drop immensely.
Most of Televisa-Univision’s entertainment, news and sports programming are available through Vix, the company’s standalone streaming service. A few shows can be watched for free with ads, or customers can upgrade to Vix Premium for $5 per month with ads or $9 per month for commercial-free viewing of on-demand content.
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