By Gavin Boyle
The latest YouTube-Disney carrier fight has left Disney-owned networks blacked out on the streaming service for over a week, a problem some experts suggest the FCC should look closely at.
“As local broadcasters, we have no say in whether our content and the content we pay to air will be distributed to local viewers,” said Chris Ripley, the CEO of the Sinclair Broadcast Group. “This was clearly not the intent of the Telecommunications Act (of 1966), and it seems to be, from our perspective, an antitrust issue as well. This dispute, and others like it, continue to hurt local viewers and local journalism, and the ecosystem of global journalism. So as we and many broadcasters have discussed with the FCC and antitrust regulators, we believe this practice needs to be stopped.”
Related: Here’s Why Fox Content May Disappear from YouTube TV
The most recent dispute between YouTube and Disney began on Oct. 30 and has left YouTube TV subscribers blacked out on all Disney-owned networks including ESPN and ABC. Ripley and other broadcasters believe that the impact these sorts of disputes have on local stations breaks FCC rules, and the FCC recently launched an investigation to determine if this is truly the case.
“We’re seeing those hurtful practices play out in front of our eyes as viewers are missing local news and local sports,” Ripley said. “Particularly concerning is that consumers are now being forced to buy more streaming services from one of the parties in the dispute to get the content that they literally already paid for. We call on Congress, the FCC and antitrust regulators to further review this and stop the harm to local broadcasters and local viewers.”
This current blackout is not the first time YouTube TV subscribers have had their access to certain channels threatened due to licensing issues. In February, YouTube TV users nearly lost access to networks owned by Paramount Global amid disagreements between the two companies about costs. Right before the deadline, however, a deal was signed, averting any loss of coverage.
“We’re happy to share that we’ve reached a deal to continue carrying Paramount channels, including CBS, CBS Sports, Nickelodeon and more,” YouTube wrote on an update to a blog post about the dispute. “With this agreement, YouTube TV will continue to offer 100+ channels and add-ons including Paramount+ with SHOWTIME and will enable more user choice in the future. To our subscribers, we appreciate your patience while we negotiated on your behalf.”
Nonetheless, it is concerning how disputes from major companies can disrupt the distribution of local content and lock users out from local news and sports despite them supposed to be included in their package. Whether or not this is an issue that the FCC can fix is yet to be seen, but hopefully some change will be made to protect consumer interests.
Read Next: Will YouTube TV Subscribers Lose Access to Paramount Content?
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