Carriage talks between YouTube TV (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) and NBCUniversal (NASDAQ:CMCSA) have stalled over the rates the Google-owned platform will pay to distribute shows of the Comcast-owned network, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
The report said that popular NBC shows, including “Sunday Night Football” and “America’s Got Talent,” may disappear from YouTube TV as soon as Tuesday if the two sides fail to agree on a new distribution deal.
According to Reuters, a bigger negotiation looms behind the scenes that reflects the newfound clout of YouTube as the dominant provider of video services in the United States.
Analysts that spoke to Reuters believe that losing carriage on YouTube TV could cut affiliate revenue and shrink subscriber bases for traditional media companies, with little assurance that viewers will migrate to their standalone streaming apps.
Sources told Reuters that YouTube TV wants to show content offered exclusively on NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service—such as the hit reality series “Love Island”—directly on its platform.
NBCUniversal has laid out the same terms for YouTube that it has offered to other large TV distributors—including Amazon’s (AMZN) Prime Video Channels—and is looking to include its streaming service as part of the bundle of programming YouTube TV distributes, the report said, citing sources.
A spokesperson for NBCUniversal said last week: “YouTube TV has refused the best rates and terms in the market, demanding preferential treatment and seeking an unfair advantage over competitors to dominate the video marketplace—all under the false pretense of fighting for the consumer.”
However, the online video platform said NBCUniversal is asking YouTube TV to pay more for the shows than the media company charges consumers for the same content on Peacock. YouTube told its subscribers last week that it would offer a $10 credit if NBC content is “unavailable for an extended period of time.”