Google says it plans to increase the monthly price of its streaming television service, YouTube TV, by $8 beginning in April, according to an email sent to subscribers on Thursday.
YouTube TV subscribers will see their monthly cost rise 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 in the 2023 NFL season. Subscribers will be able to choose it as an add-on package to YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels within the regular YouTube platform.
As of June 2022, YouTube TV reached 5 million subscribers and trial holders, according to its blog. The service was initially launched in February 2017 as an alternative to traditional cable television. At the time, YouTube TV cost $34.99 per month, which means the latest price jump represents a 108% increase from the original price.
Google’s announcement is just the latest monthly price hike among competing online streaming services. Here are some of the changes announced in the last year by popular streaming brands:
HBO Max. In January 2023, it increased its ad-free plan price from $14.99 to $15.99 (+7%).
Disney+. In December 2022, it raised its price from $7.99 to $10.99 (+38%). It also introduced a cheaper price plan with ads at $7.99.
Hulu. In November 2022, it raised its Hulu + Live TV plan from $69.99 to $74.99 (+7%). In October 2022, it increased prices 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, it introduced a basic plan with ads for $6.99 per month. In January 2022, it increased all of its existing plans: Basic rose from $8.99 to $9.99 (+11%); standard rose from $13.99 to $15.49 (+11%); and premium increased from $17.99 to $19.99 (+11%).
Apple TV+. In October 2022, its plan pricing increased from $4.99 to $6.99 (+40%).
Meanwhile, the typical cost for cable depends entirely on the provider and package. Television provider Cox, for example, 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 still likely subscribe to a video streaming service. As of January 2023, about 89% of all U.S. households subscribe to at least one, according to Kantar, a marketing data and analytics company. 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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