TelevisaUnivision and Google have struck a multi-year carriage deal that restores the Spanish-language programmer’s channels, including Univision, to the YouTube TV pay TV lineup after a nearly two-month black out.
TVU channels went dark on YouTube TV, which is the largest virtual MVPD and a leading pay TV provider, this fall. The new deal covers distribution of TVU’s U.S. networks, Univision, UNIMÁS, TUDN, and Galavisión on YouTube TV’s Base Plan and Spanish Plan. Additionally, TelevisaUnivision’s ViX streamer will be offered on YouTube’s Primetime Channels store. As part of the agreement YouTube for the first time will expand its Primetime Channels subscription store product to Mexico.
“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,” said Daniel Alegre, CEO of TelevisaUnivision, in a statement. “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.”
Both YouTube TV and TelevisaUnivision have been on different sides of separate carriage negotiations and channel blackouts in recent times. YouTube TV and NBCUniversal warned of a potential blackout and the vMVPD also had distribution negotiations with Fox – but was able to secure deals with both without programming interruptions. Disney was an exception when the media company’s channels, including ESPN and ABC, were dropped from YouTube TV for two weeks in the midst of football season before the sides reached a new agreement earlier this month.
TelevisaUnivision, meanwhile, reached a carriage deal with Disney’s Hulu + Live TV in May but prior to that last December had its channels dropped from Fubo TV’s pay TV packages.
Fubo’s business is now combined with Disney’s Hulu + Live TV and that entity is 70% owned by Disney. Just last week NBCU channels went and remain dark on Fubo as the two couldn’t reach new distribution terms.
Fubo execs have suggested the new scale of the combined entity and heft of Disney could help it to secure what the vMVPD views as fairer programming distribution terms, but no word yet whether that includes going back to the table with TVU.