YouTube TV reaches deal with Fox just before Utah-UCLA game

It appears Utes fans will be able to watch Saturday's matchup against the Bruins on YouTube TV

Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham and his program take on the UCLA Bruins to open the 2025 regular season. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Utah and UCLA fans planning to watch Saturday night's showdown at the Rose Bowl will be able to view the game through YouTube TV after all, as the network's contract dispute with Fox has ended following a short-term extension between the parties.

College football fans who double as YouTube TV subscribers were left in limbo after the Google-owned network issued a statement earlier this week that said if its contract negotiations with Fox didn't reach a resolution by 5 p.m. ET Wednesday, any Fox-based channels would become unavailable on the platform.

With about 72 hours left until Week 1 of the season kicked off, YouTube reassured fans that a new contract had been struck with Fox, allowing millions to tune into the battle between No. 1 Texas and No. 3 Ohio State, as well as some of the other highly anticipated matchups set to usher in the 2025 campaign.

"We’ve reached a short-term extension with Fox to avoid service disruption for YouTube TV subscribers while we work on a new agreement," wrote social media X account, TeamYouTube, on Wednesday. "We're committed to advocating on behalf of our members as we work toward a fair deal and will keep you posted on our progress."

It's unclear how the two sides will move forward, though for now, it appears YouTube TV will carry Fox-owned channels and the plethora of college football games Fox is slated to broadcast Saturday, including Utah's season opener in Pasadena, California, against UCLA.

Additionally, Fox will televise a pair of matchups featuring ranked teams: No. 20 Indiana hosts Old Dominion at 12:30 p.m. MT on FS1, while No. 22 Iowa State battles South Dakota at 1:30 p.m. on Fox. There's also a bevy of games lined up on Fox's affiliate station, the Big Ten Network, including No. 7 Oregon-Montana State, USC-Missouri State and Washington-Colorado State to cap the night off.

Kickoff from the Rose Bowl between the two former Pac-12 constituents is set for 8 p.m. local time/9 p.m. MT. It'll mark the first head-to-head meeting between the Utes and Bruins since September 2023, when both were part of the same conference. Utah has won six of the previous seven contests against UCLA.