The Complete History of YouTube TV Price Hikes
Introduction
As the largest online video platform, it’s no surprise that YouTube created YouTube TV. They launched the platform in February 2017, offering their tech and expertise to stream 40 channels to five cities at $35/month. During that time, it was half the price of cable, making it a top choice for cord-cutting then.
Eight years later, however, YouTube TV more than doubled their channel line-up… As well as their prices. They’ve also expanded their reach to every corner of the United States, added new features to the platform, and made plenty of deals, add-ons, and standalone plans to help keep customers, but it all comes at a cost. Is the cost worth it? In this article, we’ve tracked down each of their updates to see what the future holds for YouTube TV, and what that might cost their subscribers.
YouTube TV Price Hikes
March 13, 2018. From $34.99 to $39.99.
YouTube TV had its first price hike a year after in 2018, raising the cost by $5 for new subscribers. Those who signed up before the hike were offered their regular rate.
It was a busy year for YouTube TV. The platform expanded its reach to more than 85% of the nation, reaching to the top 100 US markets. They also expanded their line-up to more than 50 channels, adding not just popular cable networks, but also local sports networks. This included Turner channels like TNT, Adult Swim, TBS, and CNN, among others, so the raise was made to offset the cost.
April 10, 2019. From $39.99 to $49.99.
The streamer continued to expand the year after. Google made the streaming service available in every US TV market. It also reached more than 70 channels for their line-up after their deal with Discovery. They also added new features in October like improved, unlimited DVR, dark mode, live previews, and sports spoiler shields to improve the user experience.
Of course, with all these updates, YouTube TV again raised its prices by $10 for all customers.
June 30, 2020. From $49.99 to $64.99.
Prices rose again for YouTube TV, but the difference was quite drastic compared to other years. From $49.99, YouTube raised prices up by $15, making a whopping 30% price increase. This hike hit new customers immediately, but it also reflected on existing subscriptions the month after.
This comes as a result of the streamer’s ViacomCBS deal, which added 14 channels. At the time, this made the total line-up to more than 85 channels. The platform also continued to add new features like the “Mark as Watched” selection and a redesigned Live Guide.
May 20, 2022. From $64.99 to $64.99. (YouTube TV base plan)
After the back-to-back yearly increases, YouTube TV took a while to raise prices after 2020. That was because the streamer decided to create new standalone plans instead of increasing the base plan.
One such bundle was the standalone Spanish plan for $34.99/month, which Spanish speakers could avail of starting May 2022. This plan had over 28 channels. Those who wanted to keep their base plan could also add 25 Spanish-language channels through the Spanish add-on at an additional $14.99/month. The prices for the Spanish plan and add-on remain the same as of writing.
YouTube continued its focus on add-ons later that year. In October, they offered around 34 standalone plans like Paramount+, HBO Max, and more through their platform. They’ve also offered an 4K plus add-on that offered improved tech features like improved resolution and offline downloads, which was handy for sports streamers.
March 16, 2023. From $64.99 to $72.99. (YouTube TV base plan)
After three blissful years of no price hikes, YouTube TV raised the cost of its base plan by $8. This follows its streaming deal with NFL Sunday Ticket, which used to be only available through the streamer’s competitor DirecTV.
However, YouTube TV also offered its 4K plus add-on at a lower price. Instead of $19.99, subscribers could access ultra high definition streams at $9.99/month, which was 10 dollars less.
January 13, 2025. From $72.99 to $82.99. (YouTube TV base plan)
YouTube TV raised prices by $10 after nearly two years, with the base plan now costing $82.99/month. This hike was immediate for new users. However, some existing subscribers were offered the chance to lock in their previous $72.99 rate for six months.
February 9, 2026. From $82.99 to $82.99. (YouTube TV base plan)
Following on the heels of DirecTV, YouTube TV started to offer slimmer bundles in addition to their base plan. These slimmer bundles offer different channels based on genre. The original base plan also remained at the same price for viewers wanting YouTube TV’s comprehensive channel line-up.
- Base plan: $82.99/month (No change)
- Sports Plan: $64.99/month (New plan)
- Sports + News Plan: $71.99/month (New plan)
- Entertainment Plan: $54.99/month (New plan)
- News + Entertainment + Family Plan: $69.99/month (New plan)
For the last two plans, new users were offered $10 off for the first three months. Likewise, for three months, new users who subscribed to the Sports + News Plan were offered a discount with $15 off. Sports Plan subscribers were also offered $10 off, but for the whole year instead.
YouTube TV Future Price Hikes
Given the latest plan restructure, we’re happy that YouTube TV kept its original price and offered slimmer options instead. It’s a strategy we’ve seen from DirecTV and Sling, so we’re hoping that every other streaming service out there would take some notes. Streaming the past few years has primarily focused on widening their line-up, but this shift seems to signal a move to a new direction for better customization/personalization options.
That being said, this change makes it harder to predict their next price hike, or even if they will have a price hike. This will depend on the success of their slimmer bundles. If these garner more subscribers, perhaps the increase would offset the need to raise rates. Perhaps certain bundles would increase, while other bundles would keep their prices. Or, perhaps they might be inspired to create even more slim bundles– So far, there’s no standalone News and Family plans available.
What we can predict is the timing. With consistent updates every year or two, the earliest update will happen in the first half of 2027. We hope YouTube TV will surprise us again, and delay the price hikes further. We’ll be ready to report once they do.
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