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.Â
âTelevisaUnivision has over 160 million subscribers and billions of views across YouTube, where they generate ad revenue from their content,â YouTube said in a statement, according to Variety. âOn 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.â
Univision content is still available on YouTube, where the main channel boasts 6.94 million subscribers.Â
TelevisaUnivision condemned YouTubeTV for removing its content from the paid service, saying “Googleâs YouTube TV has refused to âDo the Right Thingâ and dropped Univision from its platform â 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.
âWe have concerns that Googleâs 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,â TelevisaUnivision said in a memo in September. âThat 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 â a major factor in President Trumpâs win and Republican control of Congress.”
âWe 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,â the memo continued. âUnivision will not give up its commitment to being open to all voices by accepting relegation to second-tier distribution or agreements that donât fairly value its content.â
Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.
