TV contract dispute could impact Utah-UCLA viewing for fans

While some Utah fans have glued themselves to Southern California weather forecasts for this weekend, others in Salt Lake City are keeping an eye on a pivotal TV dispute in the days leading up to Week 1 of the college football season.

That's because YouTube TV said in a blog post on Monday that it and Fox, the TV network that will air the Utes' season opener against the Bruins, have yet to reach an agreement to extend their current media partnership.

YouTube TV said that it's in ongoing negotiations to continue carrying Fox content, but if the two sides aren't able to reach a new deal by Wednesday, 3 p.m. MDT, Fox channels including Fox News, FS1 and FS2, and Fox Business would become unavailable on the platform at that time.

"Fox is asking for payments that are far higher than what partners with comparable content offerings receive," YouTube TV said in the blog. "Our priority is to reach a deal that reflects the value of their content and is fair for both sides without passing on additional costs to our subscribers."

In a separate statement, Fox claimed YouTube TV's parent company, Google, "continually exploits" the network's large influence.

"While FOX remains committed to reaching a fair agreement with Google’s YouTube TV, we are disappointed that Google continually exploits its outsized influence by proposing terms that are out of step with the marketplace," Fox-managed website called Keep Fox said in a statement. "We are alerting FOX viewers who are YouTube TV subscribers that they could lose access to much of their favorite news, sports, entertainment and local station programming unless Google engages in a meaningful way soon."

Should Fox become unavailable for an extended period of time, YouTube TV said it will provide its members with a $10 credit. Fox, meanwhile, has been directing users to its subscription service, Fox One, that costs $19.99 per month, with a free trial for seven days available as well.

Those traveling to Pasadena, California, for Saturday's showdown at the Rose Bowl should be keeping a close eye on the rising temperatures in the area in the lead up to kickoff. The National Weather Service recently issued an extreme heat warning for Pasadena and the greater San Gabriel Valley on Sunday, projecting temperatures between 95 and 105 degrees through 9 p.m. before cooling down to the high 60s through the night. Saturday's high is expected to be 92 degrees, though temperatures will likely cool before the Utes and Bruins take the field at 8 p.m. local time.

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