Google’s YouTube TV is adding two channels from Bloomberg Media to its lineup. One is 24-hour live news and the other is the media company’s original series and documentaries.
This is the first distribution agreement between Bloomberg Media and YouTube TV. The news comes as Google and Disney remain in a dispute over the terms of a YouTube TV renewal, which prompted Disney to begin warning viewers last week that the streaming service could be pulled from ESPN, ABC and other networks.
On October 28, YouTube TV will launch Bloomberg TV+, which will deliver live coverage of the latest business and financial news, and Bloomberg Originals, which will feature a series of original series and documentaries. Both are scheduled to be released on Tuesday around 1pm ET. Both channels are available as part of the YouTube TV basic plan. Bloomberg TV+ will be YouTube TV’s first 24-hour news channel in 4K UHD.
YouTube TV costs $82.99 per month for the baseline package, which includes over 100 channels of live and on-demand TV. It is the largest Internet-delivered pay-TV service in the United States, with an estimated number of subscribers exceeding 10 million.
“On average, more than 60 million people watch the Bloomberg show each month, and adding YouTube TV subscribers to our audience of business leaders is a major step toward continued growth,” said Roman Makiewicz, chief information officer at Bloomberg Media. “Every day, our audiences navigate rapid changes in markets, geopolitics and technology, and this agreement will help us reach them on another innovative platform to help guide their most important work and personal finance decisions.”
Paul Snow, head of media partnerships at YouTube, added, “Building on our commitment to delivering important news, sports and entertainment to our subscribers across our vast channel lineup, we’re proud to welcome Bloomberg to YouTube TV. Through this partnership, YouTube TV subscribers will have access to Bloomberg TV’s high-quality business coverage to stay informed.”
Bloomberg TV+ airs daily flagship news shows including Surveillance, Open Interest, the recently renewed Tech show, Balance of Power, The Crows, Horizons: Middle East and Africa, Insights with Haslinda Amin, Francine Laqua’s Pulse, The China Show and Wall Street Week. Selected news content from Bloomberg Live events will be available on BTV+, including the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore (November 19-21).
Since launching its Bloomberg Originals content studio and dedicated streams in January 2023, the brand has developed and hosted 26 original series and feature documentaries covering business from a technology, climate, culture and sports perspective. Among them is “An Optimist’s Guide to the Planet,” starring actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (of “Game of Thrones” fame), which began its second season on October 22nd. The show follows Coster-Waldau’s journey around the world to meet people who are “helping propel humanity toward a brighter, more sustainable future,” according to the series’ logline.
Other originals include “The Deal With Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly” and “The Circuit With Emily Chang,” both in their third season. “Can’t Look Away” is based on investigative reporting by Bloomberg News journalist Olivia Carville. And in June, “Hannah Fry’s Future” won Bloomberg’s first News & Documentary Emmy Award in the science and technology category.
Bloomberg Media operates bureaus and facilities in markets including New York, London, Dubai, Tokyo and Johannesburg. We recently opened new studios in Seoul and Mumbai, and will soon open a new studio in Doha.
Photo above: Bloomberg’s “An Optimist’s Guide to the Planet” by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
