Google plans to increase the monthly price of its streaming television service YouTube TV by $8 starting in April, according to an email sent to subscribers on Thursday.
The monthly cost for YouTube TV subscribers increases from $64.99 to $72.99 — a 12% increase. Google cited increased content costs as the reason for the price change.
In December, Google announced a multi-year agreement with the National Football League to distribute NFL Sunday Ticket beginning with the 2023 NFL season. Subscribers can select it as an add-on package for YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels within the regular YouTube platform.
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According to his blog, YouTube TV reached 5 million subscribers and test owners in June 2022. The service was originally launched in February 2017 as an alternative to traditional cable television. Back then, YouTube TV cost $34.99 per month, which means the latest price jump is a 108% increase from the original price.
Google’s announcement is just the latest monthly price increase among competing online streaming services. Here are some of the changes announced by popular streaming brands over the last year:
- HBO Max. In January 2023, it increased its ad-free plan price from $14.99 to $15.99 (+7%).
- Disney+. In December 2022, it increased its price from $7.99 to $10.99 (+38%). It also introduced a cheaper pricing plan with ads for $7.99.
- Hello. In November 2022, it increased its Hulu + Live TV plan from $69.99 to $74.99 (+7%). In October 2022, prices increased for Hulu with ads from $6.99 to $7.99 (+14%) and for Hulu without ads from $12.99 to $14.99 (+15%).
- Netflix. In November 2022, a basic plan with ads was introduced for $6.99 per month. In January 2022, all existing plans were increased: Basic went from $8.99 to $9.99 (+11%); Standard rose from $13.99 to $15.49 (+11%); and the premium increased from $17.99 to $19.99 (+11%).
- AppleTV+. In October 2022, the plan price increased from $4.99 to $6.99 (+40%).
The typical cost of cables, on the other hand, depends entirely on the provider and package. For example, TV provider Cox charges $56 per month for basic channels, while a premium package costs up to $139 per month.
Whether you have a YouTube TV, a cable package, or no live TV, you probably still subscribe to a video streaming service. According to Kantar, a marketing data and analytics company, as of January 2023, approximately 89% of all US households are subscribed to at least one. The services with the largest gains in new subscribers by the end of 2022 were Amazon Prime Video, Peacock and Paramount+, Kantar data shows.
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The article Google increases YouTube TV price by 12% originally appeared on NerdWallet.
