YouTube TV drops YES Network amid deal with Sinclair Broadcast Group

The YouTube TV logo at the YouTube Space LA in Los Angeles on Feb. 28, 2017. Credit: AP/Reed Saxon
The YES Network will not be available on YouTube TV this season, and the Yankees' regional sports network lashed out at the over-the-top platform owned by Google in a strongly worded statement early Thursday morning.
“YouTube TV, for its own selfish reasons and with total disregard for its YES customers, has refused to pay the market rate and accept market terms and conditions that other YES distributors have agreed to," the YES Network said in a statement posted overnight on its Twitter account. "In fact, YouTube TV sought a rate that was well below what other YES distributors are paying, and because YES keeps its word to all of its distributors, it could not make the deal. When YouTube TV realized it could not get a sweetheart, below-market deal, it dropped the YES Network.”
Talks between YouTube TV and Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns FOX’s 21 regional sports networks and has a 20 percent stake in the YES Network, broke down on Feb. 27. YouTube TV said at the time that it would be dropping all the Sinclair-owned RSNs beginning on Feb. 29.
"Despite our best efforts, we’ve been unable to reach an agreement with Sinclair. As a result, we will no longer offer FOX Regional Sports Networks, including YES Network, beginning February 29th," YouTube TV wrote on Twitter at the time. "We do not take this decision lightly. This is a reflection of the rising cost of sports content. You may have noticed several other TV services have also decided to remove FOX Regional Sports Networks from their lineups."
YouTube TV and Sinclair agreed to an extension to try to reach a new carriage deal but were not entirely successful. As part of a deal announced Wednesday, YouTube TV will carry 19 of the 21 FOX RSNs owned by Sinclair.
“Sinclair, for its own reasons, elected to make a deal for some but not all of its programming services which excluded large-market RSNs featuring iconic franchises and star players," YES Network said in its statement. "The New York Yankees have made it clear to Major League Baseball and YouTube TV that the Yankees will not appear on any national games televised by YouTube TV through its national telecast agreement with Major League Baseball. We urge all of our fans to go to YESNetwork.com to see the list of other streaming services and other distributors that carry the YES Network. With YouTube TV no longer carrying YES, it appears as though YouTube TV customers will pay the same while getting less."
Amazon owns a share of the YES Network and announced Tuesday that it will stream 21 Yankees games on Amazon Prime Video this season.