YouTube TV to Drop Fox Sports Networks, Though Talks Continue

YouTube TV is dropping 19 Fox regional sports networks owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. after the two sides failed to resolve a long-running dispute, but negotiations continue.

Though Google's YouTube and Sinclair agreed to a contract extension in March, the terms of that deal are set to expire at the end of this month. Sinclair said Wednesday it is still working to reach a new accord.

Disputes with carriers have hampered Sinclair's high-stakes push into regional sports coverage. In 2019, the broadcaster paid $9.6 billion for the Fox sports channels, known as RSNs, which were acquired by Walt Disney Co. in a previous deal.

“While we are disappointed that YouTube will discontinue carriage of the RSNs, we remain in discussions in an effort to find a mutually acceptable path to returning the RSNs to YouTube TV,” Barry Faber, Sinclair's president of distribution and network relations, said in a statement.

YouTube TV is an alternative platform for watching live television. For $65 each month, TV cord-cutters can see more than 70 channels of news, sports and entertainment.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

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