YouTube TV Announces $8 per Month Rate Hike

YouTube TV on Thursday announced a subscription rate hike of 12 percent — or, an additional $8 per month.

For the uninitiated (like moi!), YouTube TV is a subscription streaming service that lets you watch live and on-demand TV from major broadcast and popular cable networks — including (but far from limited to!) ABC, CBS, NBC, ESPN, AMC, HGTV and TNT.

All told, subscribers to the Base Plan get access to more than 100 live channels, unlimited DVR space, six household accounts and three streams, and special features like “Key Plays View.” 🤷🏻‍♂️

“As content costs have risen and we continue to invest in our quality of service, we’ll be adjusting our monthly cost, after three years, from $64.99/mo to $72.99/mo, in order to bring you the best possible TV service,” the company announced on Thursday via a series of tweets. “New members will see this new price today, while existing members will see this pricing change beginning 4/18.”

On the brighter-ish side, YouTubeTV also announced that it is lowering the price of its 4K Plus add-on — from an incremental $19.99/month to $9.99/month.

When asked on Twitter if the overall price hike was in part dictated by the service’s recent, pricey acquisition of the NFL Sunday Ticket package, YouTube TV countered that the increase is due to “the broader rise of content costs and not specifically due to our new football offerings.”

“We are committed to offering a premium way for you to stream TV, but understand this new price may not work for you,” YouTube TV acknowledged. “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.”