YouTube TV drops Univision local channels amid contract dispute

YouTubeTV on Wednesday dropped Univision's local TV stations amid a contract dispute.

Univision is the largest Spanish-language broadcaster in the United States. Its parent company is TelevisaUnivision, which was formed after a merger with Televisa. 

“TelevisaUnivision has over 160 million subscribers and billions of views across YouTube, where they generate ad revenue from their content,” YouTube said in a statement, according to Variety. “On our paid live TV subscription service, YouTube TV, however, TelevisaUnivision only represents a tiny fraction of overall consumption. Since we have not reached a new agreement with them, their content is no longer available on YouTube TV.”

Univision content is still available on YouTube, where the main channel boasts 6.94 million subscribers. 

TelevisaUnivision condemned YouTubeTV for removing its content from the paid service, saying "Google’s YouTube TV has refused to ‘Do the Right Thing’ and dropped Univision from its platform — stripping millions of Hispanic viewers of the Spanish-language news, sports, and entertainment they rely on every day."

TelevisaUnivision further criticized the move in light of the ongoing government shutdown, contending that it would deprive its viewers of crucial sources of information during the period of political uncertainty. Though YouTube did not address political considerations in its statement, Univision previously suggested that it feared political retaliation for holding a town hall with President Donald Trump in 2024.

“We have concerns that Google’s proposal will limit access of the Hispanic community to diverse voices. As you know, Univision is proud of its award-winning news division and its commitment to being open to all political voices,” TelevisaUnivision said in a memo in September. “That approach was criticized by some on the left particularly in connection with the emergence of Hispanic voters as a swing vote that shifted to the right in 2024 – a major factor in President Trump’s win and Republican control of Congress."

“We have heard concerns from some state attorneys general, policy makers, and regulators that Google is involved in content moderation affecting voting segments, like Hispanics, that are increasingly supporting more conservative politicians,” the memo continued. “Univision will not give up its commitment to being open to all voices by accepting relegation to second-tier distribution or agreements that don’t fairly value its content.”

Ahead of the deadline, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton urged YouTubeTV to keep Univision as part of its baseline streaming package. He further suggested that the state might take action should there prove to be merit behind the allegations of political retaliation.

"We also cannot ignore what appears to be obvious retaliation for Univision’s promotion of viewpoint diversity. In a time where political violence is at its highest point in decades, during the 2024 campaign season, Univision was one of the only platforms to host a Town Hall for then-candidate Donald Trump," he wrote. "That was a laudable decision, and to the extent that YouTube TV is now using market power to punish it, such retaliation will not be tolerated. 

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.