YouTube TV announces price hike just in time for the holidays

Summary

The price of YouTube TV is increasing by a massive $10, from $73 to $83 a month.
YouTube cites rising content costs as the reason for the price hike.
Subscribers are expressing their displeasure about the news on platforms like Reddit and X.

YouTube TV has become a popular streaming alternative to traditional cable and satellite TV plans. YouTube TV has the added flexibility of streaming TV channels you want on top of its base plan, which includes many popular stations like CBS, CNN, NBC or Fox. However, its popularity may be about to take a nose dive thanks to its latest price hike.

The monthly price of YouTube TV is increasing from $73 to $83 a month — a massive $10 price increase. If you’re a subscriber, the price hike goes into effect on the first billing cycle on or after January 13, 2025. If you’re not a subscriber currently, the price hike is already in effect. It’s not unusual to occasionally see a streaming service increase its price by a dollar or two a month, but $10 is rare to see.

If you’re a YouTube TV subscriber, you should receive an email about the price change soon if you haven’t already. YouTube is attributing its $10 price hike to rising costs. “Due to the rising cost of content, we’ve updated our membership pricing to reflect the complete value of YouTube TV. The new price for a Base Plan is $82.99 per month,” YouTube said in a help forum post.

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YouTube TV

Simultaneous streams: 3
# of profiles: 6
Live TV: Yes
Price: Starts at $73 /month
Free trial: Yes, length varies

These YouTube channels are available now, but a few are missing

You have options when it comes to channels on YouTube TV… for the most part.

Subscribers are not happy

YouTube / Pocket-lint

In its email to subscribers, YouTube said “We don’t make these decisions lightly, and we realize this has an impact on our members.” Users on r/cordcutters, a subreddit dedicated to discussing moving away from traditional cable TV, are not pleased with the move.

One user commented “I like YTTV. I HATE their prices and I’m particulary pissed at the new rate hike. It was around this price point that I became a cord cutter in the first place!”

Another Reddit user said: “This is really the price of programming. All of the linear streaming services (aka cable tv via the internet just like dish was cable tv via satellite) started with loss leader pricing that was not sustainable.”

Users on X are piling on YouTube for its decision.

When YouTube first debuted in 2017, the subscription cost $35 a month. In 2018, it cost $40 a month. The price has now doubled to $83, a 107.5 percent increase in six years. The last significant YouTube TV price hike was in March 2023, when the cost went up to $73 a month. New subscribers can get a promotional rate of $60 a month for the first three months currently, if that’s any silver lining.