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If you're a YouTube TV subscriber, you'll soon be paying more for the service.
In an email to customers on Thursday, the company revealed that it's upping the price of a monthly subscription by $10, from $73 to $83 a month.
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The change will take effect on Jan. 13, 2025, the message says, and apply to new and existing customers. If you're currently on a trial or promotional price for the Base Plan, though, that promotion is still honored and unchanged.
This price increase brings YouTube TV's total cost to more than double what it was when it debuted in 2017 ($35). The last jump was in March 2023. That means that within about a year and a half, customers are paying 28% more -- $215 a year.
If that seems expensive, it is right in line with comparable services. Hulu Plus Live TV is $83 a month, but that also includes traditional Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+. DirecTV Stream is $87 a month, and FuboTV is $80 a month. Those alternatives offer almost exactly the same thing as YouTube TV, but if you want NFL Sunday Ticket -- which lets you watch out-of-market NFL games for an additional cost -- it's the only option, as it's the exclusive streaming home of the service.
Despite the price increases, YouTube TV is growing. The company said in January of this year that it had 8 million subscribers.
In the email, YouTube blamed the price increase on "the rising cost of content" and "the investments we make in the quality of our service." The email went on to say that YouTube realizes the impact this will have on customers, and that it didn't make the decision lightly.
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Like other streaming services, YouTube offers the ability to cancel or pause your subscription if you need some time to think about whether the recent price hike is worth it. Plus, the FTC just made canceling a little easier.
English (US) ·