YouTube TV announces agreement with Paramount, restoring CBS channels to the service

After three days of negotiating, YouTube TV has announced a new deal with Paramount. The agreement resolves a carriage dispute that threatened to make all Paramount-owned channels go dark on the streaming service.

"Members, we're happy to share that we've reached a deal to continue carrying Paramount content on YouTube TV," YouTube TV said in a statement on Saturday.

Paramount announced Thursday that its contract with YouTube TV was set to expire that night if a new agreement was not reached. The move that would have blacked out all channels under the Paramount umbrella, including CBS, CBS Sports, Nickelodeon and more, for YouTube TV's more than 8 million subscribers. Local CBS news affiliates in a umber of major markets would have been affected by the blackout.

Later on Thursday, YouTube TV announced that it had reached a "short-term extension" with Paramount.

"We appreciate your patience as we continued to negotiate on your behalf. We also value Paramount's partnership and willingness to work towards an agreement," YouTube TV said in a statement.

The clash also threatened to black out channels just before two of the biggest sporting events of the year, with March Madness and the Masters just around the corner. The first round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament is set to tip off March 18, while the Masters start April 10; both events will be available for streaming on Paramount+.

This marks the second major carriage dispute in recent months. Disney channels went dark on DirecTV in September, in a dispute that lasted two weeks and cost subscribers the ability to watch multiple college and NFL football games. The year before, Disney also had a dispute with Charter Communications that lasted nearly two weeks before being resolved.

YouTube TV's monthly subscription fee is $82.99, up from $72.99 per month after a recent increase. That price marks the second increase since April 2023, when the service cost $64.99.