Are Paramount channels going dark on YouTube? What to know

More than 20 Paramount channels could go dark on YouTube TV, which Google owns, as soon as February 13 because of a contract dispute.

Newsweek contacted Google and Paramount for comment via email and online contact form, respectively, outside regular working hours.

Why It Matters

YouTube TV, an internet-delivered pay-TV service that launched in the U.S. in February 2017, has more than 8 million subscribers. The service recently raised its baseline prices by $10 a month. The change came into effect on January 13, with prices rising from $72.99 to $82.99 per month.

At the time, YouTube said the increase was needed to “keep up with both the rising cost of content and the investments we make in the quality of our service.” Still, some users threatened to cancel their subscriptions, and a loss of the Paramount channels could prompt others to do the same.

What To Know

In a blog post published on Tuesday, YouTube announced, “After February 13, 2025, all Paramount content, including CBS and CBS Sports, will be unavailable on YouTube TV.”

The channels going dark include CBS, BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, CBS Sports Network, Paramount Network, CMT, Nick Jr., Smithsonian Channel, TV Land and VH1.

CBS stations nationwide would also be dropped from YouTube TV, and 10 other local stations that are part of the CBS News and Stations division could go dark in Atlanta (WUPA), Boston (WSBK), Dallas-Fort Worth (KTXA), New York (WLNY), Philadelphia (WPSG), Pittsburgh (WPCW), Sacramento (KMAX), San Francisco (KPYX), Seattle (KSTW) and Tampa Bay (WTOG).

Customers would also lose their DVR recordings of Paramount content.

This isn’t the first time YouTube TV has clashed with programmers. In 2021, it experienced a two-day blackout of Disney channels before the parties reached an agreement.

What People Are Saying

A Paramount spokesperson said: “YouTube TV is attempting to pressure Paramount to agree to one-sided terms, and these non-market demands may lead to an avoidable loss of Paramount’s networks on YouTube TV, in addition to the removal of Paramount+ and BET+ from YouTube’s Primetime Channels, on February 13.”

YouTube said in its blog post: “We’ve been working hard to reach a fair agreement with Paramount that allows us to keep their channels, including CBS and CBS Sports, on YouTube TV without passing on additional costs to our subscribers. Unfortunately, despite our good faith negotiations, we haven’t been successful yet …

“Paramount is an important partner for us and as you can imagine, this is not the outcome that we want. We’re still in active conversations with Paramount and are hopeful we can come to an agreement to keep their content available on YouTube TV.”

What Happens Next

YouTube has said that if it is unable to reach an agreement with Paramount, it will offer subscribers an $8 credit at tv.youtube.com. An individual subscription to Paramount+, Paramount’s streaming service, is priced at $7.99.

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