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YouTube TV to lose Fox Regional Sports Networks over Sinclair contract dispute

YouTube TV this morning announced that a contract dispute with the Sinclair Broadcast Group will see the cord-cutting service lose the Fox Regional Sports Networks. Starting Sunday, those channels — along with the YES Network — will no longer be offered.

In a series of tweets on Thursday morning, YouTube briefly detailed how it periodically renegotiates contracts with content owners to offer the over 70 channels included with a $49.99 per month subscription.

YouTube TV revealed how it was not able to reach an agreement with Sinclair — “despite [its] best efforts” — to carry sports.

As a result, the service will drop the Fox Regional Sports Networks starting Saturday, February 29. Subscribers will no longer be able to watch live, on demand, or recorded content from their local Fox Regional Sports Network or YES Network. Google also reached out to members by email, with 18 networks and the various teams across the country affected.

Please know that we do not take this decision lightly. We value your membership and will continue to strive to build the best streaming experience possible.

YouTube cites the “rising cost of sports content” as one reason, and makes reference to how “several other TV services have also decided to remove FOX Regional Sports Networks from their lineups.” Sinclair last year purchased the Regional Sports Networks from Disney — following its 21st Century Fox acquisition — for $9.6 billion.

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Avatar for Abner Li Abner Li

Editor-in-chief. Interested in the minutiae of Google and Alphabet. Tips/talk: abner@9to5g.com