When Does the YouTube TV-Fox Short-Term Agreement End?

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – Follow me on X.

TV Answer Man, when does the short term extension between Fox and YouTube TV end? We are worried about missing Saturday’s Texas-Ohio State game! – Bobby, Wichita Falls, Texas.

Bobby, YouTube TV yesterday announced that it has reached a short-term extension of its carriage deal with Fox, allowing the live streamer to continue carrying Fox’s national and local channels.

Update: Dispute Over. Fox & YouTube TV Sign New Deal

But for how long?

YouTube TV did not reveal the length of the short-term extension which is in contrast to what it did on Monday when Fox first threatened to remove the channels. On Monday, YouTube TV said the deadline for a new deal was Wednesday (yesterday) at 5 p.m. ET.

Why did YouTube TV fail to divulge the new deadline yesterday when it was willing to do so on Monday?

The streamer may be trying to reduce pressure from subscribers to sign a new agreement. In a carriage fight, when subscribers know the exact deadline, the calls and e-mails to the TV provider tend to rise significantly in the final few days before the agreement expires. So YouTube may have been blitzed with subscriber complaints Monday through Wednesday. By keeping the new deadline secret, customers are less likely to contact them in a panic, causing less disruption at corporate headquarters.

That doesn’t mean that we don’t have some idea when the new deadline is. MichaelSaves.com, which offers tips on saving money, noticed that YouTube TV said on its company blog a few minutes after the short-term extension announcement that the new deadline was Thursday, August 28 (today) at 5 p.m. ET. However, YouTube changed the blog wording back to the original August 27 at 5 p.m. ET less than an hour later.

Perhaps that’s when the company decided it didn’t want to reveal the deadline? Or maybe someone posted the new deadline by mistake? Or perhaps the companies changed the deadline after that post?

We can speculate all day long but the fact is YouTube TV is now officially keeping mum.

Matthew Keys of the web site, The Desk, says a source tells him that the deadline is Friday, which would make sense because that’s when the weekend college football action begins. Fox would likely agree to that deadline because it would give them more leverage with the games looming. However, YouTube TV might agree to that deadline, too, if it thought the companies were close to a deal.

My best guess is that the deadline is Friday. I also believe that there’s a path to a long-term deal, which is why they agreed to a short-term extension. However, it’s no slam dunk they will get one in the next 36 hours.

Bobby, I hope that answers your question. Happy viewing and stay safe!

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