YouTube TV is firmly in line to become the No. 1 pay-TV distributor as soon as next year, and this week made multiple moves to burnish its presence with sports fans.
The Google-owned entity completed the long-awaited integration of one major distribution pact, while striking another, and solidified the availability of two high-profile streaming services within the overall YouTube footprint. Among the latest moves:
ESPN Unlimited, the sports media giant’s direct-to-consumer service, is now directly accessible within YouTube TV, and subscribers are now able to link YouTube and ESPN accounts. This integration has long been widely anticipated since YouTube TV and ESPN parent company Disney completed a carriage agreement last fall after months of rancor. The process of combining the services, known within the industry as ingestion, has quickly become a critical part of many other deals between distributors and programmers as the lines blur further between linear programming and streaming. YouTube VP of subscription products Christian Oestlien said Tuesday the ESPN move was “just an initial step” toward a broader upgrade.
NBCUniversal, in the process of separating from parent company Comcast, completed a long-term carriage extension with YouTube TV. Among the key elements in the new pact are the inclusion of Peacock in YouTube Premium, the ad-free version of its core video offering, beginning next year—providing a subscriber boost in the millions to Peacock. Additionally, NBC Sports will produce “select premiere live sporting events” shown on YouTube. The newly profitable Peacock has long boasted one of the most comprehensive sports programming lineups anywhere in streaming, with NBC Sports holding rights to the NFL, NBA, MLB, Premier League, and Olympics, among others.
