Why Is YouTubeTV Discriminating Against Faith-Based TV?
Movieguide® Contributor
Federal Communication Commission (FCC) chairman Brendan Carr recently asked Alphabet’s and Google’s CEOs why it hasn’t added Great American Family, a faith-based network, to its list of YouTube TV channels.
Carr stated that he received a complaint from Great American Media claiming that YouTube TV “deliberately marginalizes faith-based and family-friendly content.”
GAF is available on cable and streaming services, like Hulu, Cox, Comcast, FuboTV and DirecTV stream. It’s also has two successful basic YouTube channels: PureFlix has well over 1 million subscribersm, and GAF has a cable distribution of more than 50 million.
Yet “YouTube TV refuses to carry them,” Carr wrote in his letter to the CEOs.
On X, he shared, “These concerning allegations come at a time when American public discourse has experienced an unprecedented—and unacceptable—surge in censorship. I’m asking Google (the owner of YouTube) for answers.”
An insider told Movieguide® that GAF has been fighting for 3 years to have its channel on YouTube TV, only to be told its content is too “niche.” However, YouTubeTV added all of Hallmark’s channels, which is a similar but secular network.
Carr stated there are limitations on the FCC’s authority on multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs), compared to cable. Yet, the FFC has had several cases to expand regulation to MVPDs like YouTube TV.
The chairman requested that Google explain its policies to the FCC.
“Understanding the nature of carriage policies in the virtual MVPD sector can help inform the FCC’s approach to the broader set of regulatory issues the FCC has been called upon to address,” he wrote.
A YouTube spokesperson replied, “We welcome the opportunity to brief the FCC on YouTube TV’s subscription service and the strategic business decisions we make based on factors like user demand, operational cost and financial terms, and to reiterate that we do not have any policies that prohibit religious content.” The statement offers no indication why YouTube TV hasn’t added GAF specifically as one of its channels.
Carr is highly aware of social media platforms’ discrimination against conservative voices. He has advocated for reformation of Section 230 of the Communications Act, which has helped platforms get away with discriminatory acts.
Google “offers a range of products that have benefited from the protections contained in Section 230 of the Communications Act. With respect to those covered products, Google’s conduct is only protected to the extent its actions, as relevant here, are taken in good faith,” Carr said.
Carr addressed big tech censorship in November: “Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft & others have played central roles in the censorship cartel. The Orwellian named NewsGuard along with ‘fact checking’ groups & ad agencies helped enforce one-sided narratives. The censorship cartel must be dismantled,” Carr wrote on X.
Carr’s approach with YouTube TV may pull off, as YouTube previously restored a conservative blog, Legal Insurrection, after news and media called the company out for discrimination.
Want more faith-filled options on YouTubeTV? Write to these CEOS and ask them to add Great American Family to their lineup.
Related: ‘Great Stories That Inspire’: GAF’s Bill Abbott Talks Network Success
Neal Mohan, CEO of YouTube
901 Cherry Ave,
San Bruno, California 94066.
Email: nmohan@google.com
Telephone + (877) 763-9810
Sundar Pichai
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway,
Mountain View, CA 94043
Email: sundar@google.com
Phone: (408) 446-1118
Brendan Carr, Chairman
Federal Communications Commission
45 L Street NE Washington, DC 20554
Phone: (888) 225-5322
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