With YouTube TV receiving outsized attention across the first quarter of 2023 thanks to its historic Sunday Ticket rights acquisition, making it the new home of National Football League out-of-market coverage, the nation’s largest owner of broadcast TV stations has successfully reached a “comprehensive multi-year distribution agreement” with the vMVPD for some — but not all — of the company’s stations.
At the same time, the TV network this company owns has reached a carriage deal ensuring every one of its affiliates remains available to YouTube TV users.
For Nexstar Media Group, a total of 59 stations will be available on YouTube TV.
Why? As has been reported, NBC, ABC and FOX presently hold the negotiation power for every affiliate and owned station with vMVPDs such as YouTubeTV. As such, the agreement includes its CBS-affiliated stations, extending its current carriage agreement, while also now including Nexstar’s 29 owned stations home to The CW and its 26 MyNetworkTV affiliates. Additionally, unaffiliated TV stations in Chicago; Washington, D.C.; Oklahoma City; and Baton Rouge will be added to YouTube TV.
This agreement also renews and extends preexisting carriage of NewsNation, Nexstar’s MVPD and vMVPD-distributed network formerly known as WGN America.
Financial terms of the agreement were not released.
“These agreements with YouTube TV underscore the importance of Nexstar’s national and local content on its platform,” said Nexstar COO Tom Carter. “Not only will Nexstar’s 40 CBS-affiliated stations continue being carried on YouTube TV, but for the first time Nexstar’s 59 CW, MyNetworkTV, and independent stations will be carried on the platform, bringing Nexstar’s CBS, The CW Network, and MyNetworkTV content, as well as local news, weather, sports, and other proprietary and syndicated content to YouTube TV subscribers in local markets across the country. We are also excited to be extending NewsNation’s partnership with YouTube TV at a time when the network is about to expand its weekday news programming to 24-hours a day with the launch of ‘Elizabeth Vargas Reports’ and ‘The
Hill.’”
Meanwhile, The CW Network President Dennis Miller is celebrating his own new comprehensive multi-year agreement with YouTube TV that sees the continuation of affiliation agreements with CW-affiliated stations across the U.S. not owned by Nexstar.
“We are extremely pleased to have reached agreement to continue carriage of its CW-affiliated stations on YouTube TV, especially as we move forward with our plans to transform The CW with additional sports programming [LIV golf] and a new slate of prime-time entertainment shows this fall,” Miller said. “YouTube TV is an important partner for our affiliates and us, and we look forward to expanding our relationship and growing our audience via this dynamic platform.”
