Alphabet's YouTube TV and Comcast's NBCUniversal secured a short-term contract extension on Wednesday, preventing a blackout and ensuring continued access to NBCUniversal programming for YouTube TV's 10 million subscribers as negotiations persist. Without the deal, popular NBC shows like "Sunday Night Football" and "America's Got Talent" faced removal after Tuesday midnight, a dispute that could shape the television industry's future.
However, Google’s YouTubeTV has dropped Univision‘s local TV stations — along with other TelevisaUnivision-owned networks — after the two sides failed to come to terms on a contract renewal Tuesday.
An NBCU spokesperson confirmed the extension, noting ongoing talks, with YouTube TV affirming the agreement. The standoff hinged on carriage rates YouTube TV, a top-four U.S. pay-TV distributor, pays for NBCUniversal content. 
According to Reuters, LightShed analyst Richard Greenfield noted that these disputes have “important strategic implications for the future of media.” Similar talks are expected when Disney’s deal with YouTube TV expires in October.
YouTube now leads U.S. TV viewing, surpassing Netflix and traditional media like Disney, per Nielsen.
YouTube TV ranks among the top four U.S. pay-TV distributors, and Alphabet’s financial strength has given it leverage in recent talks with Paramount and Fox Corp. NBCUniversal offered YouTube TV the same terms as other major distributors, like Amazon’s Prime Video Channels, and proposed including Peacock in YouTube TV’s programming bundle, according to a source familiar with the talks.
An NBCUniversal spokesperson accused YouTube TV of demanding preferential treatment to dominate the video market, claiming it rejected competitive rates. YouTube TV countered that NBCUniversal is charging more for its content than it does for Peacock subscribers. YouTube TV offered a $10 credit to subscribers if NBC content remains unavailable for an extended period.
Analysts warn that losing YouTube TV carriage could reduce NBCUniversal’s affiliate revenue and subscriber base, with no guarantee viewers will switch to Peacock. For Google, losing NBC content could diminish YouTube TV’s appeal on connected TVs.