D.C. Memo: NBC, Google Reach YouTube TV Deal but Statement Says Nothing about Local TV Stations
Deal arrived one day after NAB slammed the ‘unchecked dominance of Big Tech’
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Deal: NBCUniversal and Google yesterday announced a long-term distribution agreement to continue delivering a wide range of entertainment options for millions of customers. “We’ve secured long-term access to our full portfolio of broadcast and cable networks on YouTube TV, and we’re advancing our Peacock strategy with an upcoming launch on YouTube Primetime Channels and ongoing presence on Google TV,” said Matt Schnaars, President of Platform Distribution & Partnerships at NBCUniversal. The joint statement had a notable omission or two, including no mention of NBC’s local TV stations or carriage of NBC’s 210 independent affiliates. Under an agreement at least a decade old, NBC network negotiates retransmission consent for the affiliates in distribution talks with online entities like YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV. The deal was announced a day after the National Association of Broadcasters attacked Google for threatening to black out NBC stations nationally. “The unchecked dominance of Big Tech companies like Google and its ability to dictate what millions of households can and cannot watch through its YouTube TV platform is a problem for competition and consumers,” said NAB Senior VP of Communications Alex Siciliano. NAB has urged the FCC to classify YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV as multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs), a legal change that would force Google to negotiate carriage deals with local TV stations directly instead of through the Big Four networks. (More after paywall.)
