FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has called on Google and Fox Corporation to resolve their ongoing carriage dispute, which threatens to remove several Fox channels from YouTube TV. Carr says removing Fox from YouTube TV would be a “terrible outcome” that would not only impact customers’ access to Fox News, but also major sporting events including college football and the kickoff of the NFL season.
Variety reports that as the deadline for the current distribution agreement between Google’s YouTube TV and Fox Corporation approaches, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has weighed in on the matter, urging the two companies to “get a deal done.” The existing contract is set to expire today at 5:00 p.m. ET, potentially leading to the removal of various Fox channels from the streaming platform. As Breitbart News previously reported, the channels that would be removed include Fox, Fox Sports, Fox News, Fox Business, and Fox Nation.
In a post on X, Carr emphasized the importance of the situation, stating that “Google removing Fox channels from YouTube TV would be a terrible outcome.” He highlighted the reliance of millions of Americans on YouTube TV for access to news and sports content, specifically mentioning the upcoming college football game between Texas and Ohio State, which is scheduled to air on the Fox broadcast network.
YouTube responded to Carr’s post, assuring users that they are “working hard to negotiate a deal that’s fair to Fox, our valued subscribers and all of our partners.” The company urged users to “stay tuned” for updates on the situation.
Fox has blamed the situation completely on Google flexing its “outsized influence:” “While Fox remains committed to reaching a fair agreement with Google’s YouTube TV, we are disappointed that Google continually exploits its outsized influence by proposing terms that are out of step with the marketplace,” the network said. “We are alerting Fox viewers who are YouTube TV subscribers that they could lose access to much of their favorite news, sports, entertainment, and local station programming unless Google engages in a meaningful way soon.”
This is not the first time Carr has questioned Google and YouTube TV over their private business decisions. In March, the chairman sent a letter to the company expressing concerns about discrimination against faith-based programming, citing a complaint filed by conservative Great American Media. As Breitbart News reported at the time Carr wrote:
Importantly, these allegations of faith-based discrimination come at a time when American public discourse has experienced an unprecedented surge in censorship. In too many cases, tech companies silenced individuals for doing nothing more than expressing themselves online and in the digital town square. Therefore, I am writing to determine whether YouTube TV has a policy or practice that favors discrimination against faith-based channels.
Read more at Variety here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
