By Michael Tanenbaum

Copyright phillyvoice

YouTube TV subscribers began seeing messages last week warning them that the streaming platform may stop carrying NBC-owned channels by the end of September, typically one of the busiest times of year on the sports calendar.

“ATTENTION YOUTUBE TV CUSTOMERS: YouTube TV is at it again,” NBCUniversal wrote in a message that scrolls across the top of the screen, including during last night’s “Sunday Night Football” broadcast. “You may lose your favorite sports and shows on September 30.”

MORE: Pa. Supreme Court justices rarely lose seats in retention elections, so why is this year’s race so important?

The message directs YouTube TV subscribers to visit a website that explains which NBC channels are at risk and how subscribers can take action to avoid service interruption.

Google-owned YouTube TV and NBCUniversal, owned by Philadelphia-based Comcast, have been locked in a contract dispute over the terms of a new carrier agreement to keep NBC’s programming available to roughly 10 million YouTube TV subscribers. The deadline for a new deal is Tuesday.

“YouTube TV has refused the best rates and terms in the market, demanding preferential treatment and seeking an unfair advantage over competitors to dominate the video marketplace — all under the false pretense of fighting for the consumer,” NBCUniversal said in a statement provided to Axios.

An NBC blackout on YouTube TV notably would impact access to NBC Sports Philadelphia, the regional network that carries broadcasts of most regular season games for the Phillies, Flyers and Sixers.

Since the Phillies’ regular season ended Sunday, fans with YouTube TV will be able to watch all of the team’s playoff games on other major networks that have broadcast rights for the MLB postseason. But YouTube TV subscribers would not be able to catch NBC Sports Philadelphia’s pre- and postgame coverage of Phillies playoff games in the absence of a new deal.

The Flyers season starts Oct. 9 and the Sixers get underway on Oct. 22. Both teams will have most of their games broadcast by NBC Sports Philadelphia, including pre- and postgame coverage. The network also has pre- and postgame shows for the Eagles that would be unavailable to YouTube TV subscribers during a blackout.

Other channels on the brink of getting pulled include NBC, Bravo, USA Network, MSNBC, CNBC and Telemundo.

NFL fans with YouTube TV would be unable to watch “Sunday Night Football” without a new agreement, and NBC also holds broadcast rights to Big Ten college football games, Premier League soccer and a new slate of nationally televised NBA games this season. Other popular shows affected by a blackout would include “The Voice” and “Saturday Night Live,” whose new season premieres Oct. 4.

YouTube TV claims NBCUniversal is asking for rates higher than what the company charges its Peacock subscribers. YouTube TV said paying the higher rate “would mean less flexibility and higher prices” for its own subscribers. The company said it will continue negotiations with NBCUniversal but would offer subscribers a $10 credit if NBC programming is unavailable for an extended period of time.

A basic YouTube TV subscription with more than 100 broadcast and cable channels now costs $82.99 per month, plus tax. When the steaming service launched it 2017, offering about 40 channels, the introductory price was $35 per month. The cost has been rising as providers increase their carriage fees. Comcast’s cable business has been in decline for years as cord-cutters flock to streaming subscriptions, putting pressure on the company and traditional cable networks to renegotiate with streamers.

The dispute between NBCUniversal and Google comes on the heels of a similar contract disagreement that threatened to pull Fox’s programming from YouTube TV in late August. The sides ultimately agreed to a short-term extension before reaching a new deal without disclosing any financial terms.

Comcast is in the process of spinning off the majority of its NBCUniversal portfolio into a new company called Versant by the end of the year. Most of its cable networks — including MSNBC, soon to be renamed MS Now — will operate as part of the new company and be separated from Comcast’s broadband division and Peacock. The move will give Versant more flexibility to operate in the media landscape without impacting Comcast’s core business.

Comcast announced Monday that it promoted company president Mike Cavanaugh to serve as co-CEO with longtime CEO and board chairman Brian Roberts. CNBC reported earlier this year that Cavanaugh is viewed as the eventual heir apparent to Roberts, 66, whose father Ralph founded the company in 1963. Brian Roberts has been Comcast’s CEO since 2022.