Braves, Hawks and Atlanta United fans who subscribe to YouTube TV got some bad news Thursday: Those teams’ games televised by Fox Sports South and Fox Sports Southeast will be removed from the subscription TV streaming service as of this weekend.
YouTube TV said in an email to subscribers that it will drop all of the Fox regional sports networks from customer lineups Saturday because "we have been unable to reach an agreement" with Sinclair Broadcast Group, which bought the Fox-branded RSNs last year.
“We do not take this decision lightly,” YouTube TV said in a statement posted on social media. “This is a reflection of the rising cost of sports content.”
YouTube TV’s announcement follows Dish Network dropping the Fox regional sports networks, including Fox Sports South/Southeast, from its satellite and Sling TV services last summer because of a similar dispute over carriage fees. The RSNs remain off Dish and Sling. TV streaming service fuboTV also dropped the Fox RSNs last month.
Fox Sports South and Fox Sports Southeast have the exclusive local TV rights to Braves, Hawks and Atlanta United games.
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Sinclair acquired Fox Sports South/Southeast and 19 other Fox-branded regional sports networks from the Walt Disney Co. in August in a deal that valued the networks at $10.6 billion. The RSNs collectively hold broadcast rights to 14 MLB teams and 16 NBA teams.
Disney acquired the regional sports networks earlier last year as part of a $71 billion purchase of 21st Century Fox’s entertainment assets, but was required to divest the RSNs within 90 days as a condition of U.S. Justice Department approval of the larger deal.
YouTube TV had over 2 million paid subscribers nationwide as of the end of 2019, the company has said.
