Google-owned YouTube TV has reached a new agreement with Spanish-language broadcaster Televisa-Univision that restores its linear channels to the service after a nearly-two month hiatus.
The new distribution contract restores local and national feeds of Univision and UniMás, along with cable networks like TUDN (Televisa-Univision Deportes Network) and Galavision, which are now available on YouTube TV’s base streaming plan and its Spanish-language package.
Additionally, the premium version of streaming service Vix will be offered through Google’s streaming marketplace YouTube Primetime Channels, the companies said. YouTube will sell Vix through its marketplace in the U.S. and in Mexico.
Financial terms of the deal were not revealed. The dispute originally sparked over fees paid by Google to Televisa-Univision for distribution of their channels.
“We are pleased to have reached an agreement that restores Univision to YouTube TV, ensuring millions of Hispanics can access the news, sports, and entertainment they care about and have relied on for over 70 years,” Daniel Alegre, the CEO of Televisa-Univision, said in a statement.
He continued: “This agreement recognizes the essential role that our content plays in the daily lives of our viewers, as we fulfill our mission of reflecting the voice of Hispanics. We look forward to serving YouTube TV subscribers again.”
The dispute was the second involving Google and a programmer in recent weeks. In late October, channels from the Walt Disney Company — including ESPN and ABC — were pulled from the platform during a similar impasse over distribution fees. In mid-October, Google warned it might have to pull channels from Comcast’s NBC Universal as well, though a programming blackout was avoided at the last minute.
YouTube TV reaches more than 10 million streaming pay television customers each month, according to some estimates. The dispute had a negligible effect on Univision’s ratings, with the broadcast network continuing to appear in Nielsen’s weekly prime-time ranker, according to a review of viewership data by The Desk.
Univision generally ranks as the most-watched Spanish-language network in the country, outpacing Comcast’s Telemundo with its strong slate of entertainment and news programming.
