This is the last day that YouTube TV costs $35 per month, as a $5 price increase is due to take effect very soon. Starting tomorrow, March 13, YouTube TV will cost $40 per month for the base plan, and more if users add additional channels. The price hike is not unexpected, as YouTube announced last month that its live streaming TV service would get more channels and reach more markets, but that would also translate to a higher base price. The new $40 per month rate applies only to new customers who subscribe to the service on or after March 13, but will remain the same at $35 per month for those with existing subscriptions.
YouTube TV did not get off to a strong start, especially considering that it was absent from two major platforms – Apple TV and Roku – up until recently, but it’s nonetheless gaining ground and expanding. It aims to compete with similar live streaming TV services for cord-cutters such as DIRECTV NOW, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV, and PlayStation Vue, although it will no longer be among the most accessible options. Sling TV starts out at $20, DIRECTV NOW has a base price of $35, while PlayStation Vue and Hulu with Live TV cost $40 per month. On the other hand, Google is also throwing in free unlimited DVR with YouTube TV, offering unlimited cloud storage for recordings that can be stored for up to nine months.
Along with the price increase, YouTube TV is also getting major new channels, including CNN, TNT, Cartoon Network, TBS, Adult Swim, NBA TV, the MLB Network, Turner Classic Movies (TCM), and truTV. In the future, users will also have the option to add NBA League Pass or MLB TV, but that will cost extra, on top of the monthly subscription. Except for the latter two, the other new channels will not add to the $40 per month base price, or the $35 per month grandfathered price for existing users. Along with a greater channel lineup, YouTube TV will also have wider coverage in the United States, expanding to a number of new locations that will boost its coverage to 85 percent of U.S. households. Those who want to take advantage of the $35 per month plan should do so while they still can, before March 13. The plan supports up to six people on a single account, and relies on a no-commitment subscription model that allows people to drop out at any time.