Fox to carry Texas-OSU game after late agreement with Google

Staff

2 days ago

FILE - Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) scores a touchdown against Oregon defensive ... — FILE – Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) scores a touchdown against Oregon defensive back Kobe Savage (5) during the first half in the quarterfinals of the Rose Bowl College Football Playoff, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

Fox and Google are in disagreement over Google’s fee payments to the nationwide network.

Fox and Google have avoided a shutdown of the network’s streaming services on YouTube TV.

On Wednesday afternoon, the two sides settled a disagreement over Google’s fee payments to Fox in a dispute that nearly caused Fox to go dark on YouTube TV. Google announced it reached a short-term extension with Fox, which allowed such channels as Fox Broadcast Network, Fox News and Fox Sports to continue streaming.

“We have reached a short-term extension with Fox to prevent disruption to YouTube TV subscribers as we continue to work on a new agreement,” Google said in an updated blog post on Wednesday. “We are committed to advocating on behalf of our subscribers as we work toward a fair deal and will keep you updated on our progress.”

Fox 5 Las Vegas would have been pulled from YouTube had the deal not been struck. The local Fox affiliate posted that it was “caught in the middle” of the conflict.

The timing is critical for college-football fans. Fox airs with top-ranked Texas against defending NCAA champion Ohio State on Saturday. Fox also carries a robust NFL schedule beginning Sept. 7.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.