Everything is getting more expensive, from groceries to streaming services, it seems that the cost of doing business is getting to everyone, and hitting consumers right in the wallet. And the latest service to up its prices is YouTube TV. The service announced today, via a Twitter thread, that they will be adjusting their monthly cost from $64.99 a month to $72.99 a month.
As reasoning, the YouTube TV Twitter account said that “as content costs have risen and we continue to invest in our quality of service, we’ll be adjusting our monthly cost…in order to bring you the best possible TV service.” The last time YouTube TV adjusted its price was three years ago, in 2020, when the fee went from $50 a month to $64.99 a month. When the service launched in 2017, the price was $35.00 a month.
What is YouTube TV?
YouTube TV is a streaming network launched in 2017 and offers both on-demand and multichannel video programming. It is, of the available streaming services, perhaps the most similar to cable services, offering linear network programming to viewers. The price increase in 2020 came along with the addition of an HBO Max and Cinemax add-on, giving subscribers access to HBO Max along with YouTube TV. HBO Max has also had its own pricing increases recently, as Collider has previously reported, along with Paramount+ also increasing its subscription prices for the first time.
Some viewers have speculated that the most recent price hike is due to YouTube’s new streaming deal with NFL Sunday Ticket. However, this was not a motivation indicated by the network’s recent announcement. Instead, YouTube TV simply said that they “…are committed to offering a premium way for you to stream TV”. However, they also indicated that they “…understand this new price may not work for you. We do hope YouTube TV continues to be your service of choice, but we want to give you the flexibility to cancel at any time.” The door is right there, essentially.
The decision to increase prices might lead to a dip in subscribers, but despite this reality, it seems that price increases among streaming services have become more and more prevalent in the past few years. As Collider’s own Liam Gaughan reported over a month ago, it seems that the streaming bubble may soon burst, but in the meantime “continuous price hikes and spending indulgences will force viewers to pick and choose their service subscriptions which could have dire consequences for the future of the entertainment market.” What the implications of such an implosion would be is yet to be seen.
YouTube TV’s monthly fee will increase from $64.99 a month to $72.99 a month beginning on April 18, 2023.
