After a two-month blackout, TelevisaUnivision networks are back on YouTube TV.
The two sides announced a new multiyear carriage agreement on Wednesday that will see Univision, Unimás, TUDN, and Galavisión return to the YouTube TV platform via the distributor’s base plan and Spanish-language offering. At the outset of this dispute, TelevisaUnivision alleged that YouTube TV was imposing a “Hispanic tax” on its customers by trying to remove Univision from its base tier and place it on a more expensive Spanish-language tier.
TelevisaUnivision airs the most-watched soccer package in the United States. The company’s Liga MX slate draws substantially larger audiences than NBC’s Premier League package. TUDN, the company’s sports-focused arm, airs a wide swath of Spanish-language live sports broadcasts popular among Hispanic American fans.
The agreement comes just weeks after YouTube TV ended its carriage dispute with Disney, which also resulted in a lengthy blackout. YouTube TV and TelevisaUnivision were at odds over many of the same issues, including pricing and ingestion.
As part of the new deal, TelevisaUnivision will sell its popular Vix streaming service through YouTube Primetime Channels, an arrangement seemingly similar to NBC’s recent carriage agreement with YouTube TV, which will make Peacock available through Primetime Channels. TelevisaUnivision will also partner with the free YouTube platform to create new content for a global audience.
With this dispute resolved, YouTube TV has successfully negotiated four major distribution agreements in as many months: Fox, NBCUniversal, Disney, and TelevisaUnivision. That bodes well for YouTube TV subscribers, who shouldn’t have to worry about another major blackout with these companies for at least the next couple of years.
“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,” TelevisaUnivision CEO Daniel Alegre said 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.”
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.