YouTube TV won’t carry Fox Sports Regional Networks and the YES Network after reaching a contract negotiations impasse with Sinclair Broadcast Group.
The cord-cutting TV provider announced the news via Twitter in a thread on Thursday:
Yes, Sinclair is indeed powerful, and is evidently keen on clinging to the traditional pay-TV model that suits them. Instead of adapting with the times, they must have made shortsighted demands — based on YouTube’s rhetoric — that’ll backfire in the long run.
YouTube TV throws shade at sports providers
Whoever runs that social media feed didn’t thinly veil their feelings on the matter whatsoever.
Lots of angry sports fan tweeters are saying they’ll immediately cancel their YouTube TV subscriptions. Should that actually come to pass, expect it to be a short-term trend.
YouTube is ubiquitous and has been a video hosting platform for years. They’re backed by Google. Losing the regional networks may be tough, yet there are bigger things on the horizon.
There will be a Streaming Wars battle for a piece of the massive NFL pie. After the league sorts through the new CBA, TV rights will be on the table. YouTube has been talking to the league about NFL Sunday Ticket rights. The same goes for Apple TV+. Amazon already streams the NFL on Prime Video.
Those NFL pay-TV deals simply can’t last forever. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, too. All major sports will deal with this in the coming years.
Sinclair stays status quo
Every media company has a certain bias or agenda, as does every individual in said media company.
But for such a pro-democracy collection of local news providers, aimed at truth and, presumably, the first Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that explicitly establishes freedom of the press, Sinclair’s run a little…well, counter to that.
Let’s bring in Joss Whedon, who has cool movies streaming such as Marvel’s The Avengers on Disney+. He cited Deadspin in shedding some light on Sinclair a while back:
Sports are obviously separate from all this political coverage, yet the eerie, groupthink mentality is markedly similar in spirit to what happened with Sinclair and YouTube TV with sports.
YouTube TV is going to be just fine in the sports media game. I enjoy watching games on Fox Sports and the YES Network. Heck, the latter is home to the legendary New York Yankees!
Whoever is in charge of their rights should probably embrace the inevitable cord-cutting era sooner rather than later. Refusing to agree with YouTube is a bold move, even if it means better business for now.
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