Millions of American sports fans and news watchers are bracing for a potential blackout as Google’s YouTube TV and Fox Corporation teeter on the edge of a major carriage dispute. With their current agreement set to expire on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, at 5 p.m. ET, the standoff threatens to pull Fox Broadcasting, Fox Sports, FS1, FS2, Fox News, Fox Deportes, Big Ten Network, and a slew of other Fox-owned channels from the nation’s largest streaming television service. The timing couldn’t be more fraught: the NFL season looms, college football is about to kick off, and Fox’s programming is front and center in the U.S. sports calendar.
Fox has sounded the alarm to subscribers, warning that millions could lose access to its content during the most critical period of the sports year. In a letter obtained by CNBC, Fox emphasized, “Google is threatening to blackout Fox’s leading sports, entertainment and news channels from YouTube TV.” The company underscored the essential nature of its programming, which includes broadcast rights to the NFL, college football, and Major League Baseball—content that’s become a lynchpin for both audiences and advertisers.
At the root of the dispute are payment terms. While neither side has disclosed precise financial details, industry analysts peg the partnership at a staggering $2.5 billion annually. Fox, facing ever-increasing costs for sports rights, is seeking higher carriage fees. Google, for its part, is pushing back, citing its commitment to keeping YouTube TV membership prices “fair.” In a statement to CNBC, Google asserted, “We work hard to keep YouTube TV membership prices fair and will only renew agreements that are consistent with that goal. If Fox chooses to remove their content, we will of course reduce our members’ monthly bills and continue to offer the best overall value in live TV.”
For YouTube TV, the stakes are enormous. With a subscriber base now estimated between 8 and 10 million, the service has emerged as the largest television distributor in the U.S. by share of viewership, according to Nielsen. Its rise has come at the expense of legacy providers like Charter Spectrum, DirecTV, and Dish Networks. The platform’s appeal is especially strong among sports fans, thanks in part to its exclusive NFL Sunday Ticket package and a robust lineup of live sports content. Yet, with the NFL season starting in September and marquee college football games on the horizon—including this Saturday’s highly anticipated Texas (No. 1) vs. Ohio State (No. 3) matchup on Fox—the risk of a blackout is especially acute.
Brendan Carr, chairman of the FCC and a prominent supporter of former President Trump, has weighed in, urging Google to resolve the dispute swiftly. “Google removing Fox channels from YouTube TV would be a terrible outcome,” Carr posted on X. “Millions of Americans are relying on YouTube to resolve this dispute so they can keep watching the news and sports they want—including this week’s Big Game: Texas @ Ohio State. Get a deal done Google!” While the FCC currently lacks regulatory authority over internet-delivered services like YouTube TV, it is considering whether to expand its rules to include so-called “virtual multichannel video programming distributors” (vMVPDs) like YouTube TV in the future.
The list of Fox channels at risk is extensive: Fox local stations, Big Ten Network, Fox Business, Fox Deportes, Fox News, Fox Soccer Plus, Fox Soul, FS1, FS2, Fox Weather, KTVU Plus, and LiveNow from Fox. The agreement also covers Fox Nation, available as an optional add-on for $7.99 per month. In messages to subscribers, YouTube TV has promised a $10 credit if Fox content is unavailable “for an extended period of time” because of the contract fight.
Fox, meanwhile, has set up a dedicated website, keepfox.com, to rally viewers and make its case. The company claims it is “proposing a fair, comprehensive deal to continue our relationship with YouTube TV. Google is attempting to use its market power to pressure Fox to agree to unfavorable and one-sided terms, prioritizing their own interests over a fair agreement for its customers.” In a statement to The Spokesman-Review, Fox said, “While Fox remains committed to reaching a fair agreement with Google’s YouTube TV, we are disappointed that Google continually exploits its outsized influence by proposing terms that are out of step with the marketplace,” warning that its channels could go dark “unless Google engages in a meaningful way soon.”
YouTube TV, for its part, is adamant that it is working “diligently with the team at Fox to reach an agreement.” On Monday, the company said, “Our priority is to reach a deal that reflects the value of their content and is fair for both sides without passing on additional costs to our subscribers.” YouTube has also reminded customers that, should Fox channels go dark, they could sign up for Fox’s new streaming service, Fox One, which costs $20 a month—a price point that could prove prohibitive for many.
The dispute is hardly unique. In recent years, similar clashes have erupted between programmers and pay-TV providers, driven by the skyrocketing price of sports rights and the shifting economics of television. Last year, DirecTV customers lost access to Walt Disney Co. channels, including ESPN, for nearly two weeks—a blackout that saw thousands of subscribers defect, many to YouTube TV. In 2023, Disney channels went dark on Spectrum, causing widespread frustration among viewers eager to watch the U.S. Open, college football, and popular shows like “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune.”
The current YouTube TV-Fox standoff is further complicated by the fact that more than 70% of U.S. sports fans now watch at least some games via streaming platforms, according to CNBC. For Fox, maintaining digital distribution through YouTube TV is essential to its strategy for live sports, which remain a cornerstone for both advertising revenue and audience engagement. For Google, the challenge is to balance the rising cost of content with the need to keep its service affordable and competitive.
With the deadline fast approaching, the pressure is mounting on both sides. Subscribers have been notified that they could lose access to Fox News programs like “The Five,” Friday night’s Auburn-Baylor football game, Saturday’s Texas vs. Ohio State showdown, and three regional Major League Baseball games. A prolonged blackout could even disrupt the start of Fox’s NFL season on September 7, 2025, a scenario that would undoubtedly spark outrage among sports fans and further erode trust in streaming providers.
Whether Google and Fox can bridge their differences before the Wednesday deadline remains to be seen. What’s clear is that the outcome will reverberate far beyond boardrooms and balance sheets, affecting millions of households who have come to rely on streaming for their daily dose of news, sports, and entertainment. For now, subscribers can only wait—and hope that the game doesn’t get called before it even begins.
