Subscribers to Google’s YouTube TV will see their monthly fee increase from $64.99 per month to $72.99 per month starting in mid-April, the streaming service announced on Thursday.
“Due to the rising cost of content, we’re updating our membership pricing to reflect the complete value of YouTube TV,” according to a notice released by the wholly owned Google subsidiary.
Newly subscribing members will immediately see this $8 price increase, according to the platform, while existing subscribers will see this pricing change “on their first monthly bill” on or after April 18.
“The updated price will continue to include 100-plus channels, a DVR with unlimited storage, up to six accounts per household, and three concurrent streams,” the company stated. “No additional fees are required for broadcast, HD, set-top box, or DVR.”
To ameliorate this sudden price hike, Youtube TV unveiled another cost change that benefits subscribers. The company announced that it’s lowering the price for its 4K Plus add-on package by $10 per month—from $19.99 per month to $9.99 per month.
New members will see this new price today, while existing members will see this pricing change beginning 4/18. Additionally, we are lowering the price of our 4K Plus add-on from $19.99/mo to $9.99/mo.
— YouTube TV (@YouTubeTV) March 16, 2023
Google said this change, which is a fair adjustment for those who were already paying for the package, will go into effect for all subscribers starting on March 16.
In essence, those who have the extra viewing options to their YouTube TV Base Plan will now pay $2 less after the platform reduced the price of the 4K Plus add-on package by $10—even with the $8 price increase for Youtube TV’s monthly subscription.
Google launched YouTube TV in April 2017. As of July 2022, the streaming service totaled over five million subscribers.
Costs Rising
Unlike other platforms, Google’s YouTube TV had not raised monthly subscription costs in about three years.
Google’s move to hike prices comes after a number of competing online streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+, and HBO Max, among other similar platforms, recently raised monthly subscription costs.
In January, Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. raised HBO Max’s ad-free subscription fee in the United States for the first time since the service’s launch in May 2020. It had remained steady at the $14.99 monthly price.
Prices for the platform will rise by $1, to $15.99 plus taxes a month for U.S. subscribers, the TV network announced at the time.
Netflix Inc. has also raised its U.S. monthly subscription prices by $1–2 per month in January, depending on the plan.
The platform’s standard plan, which allows for two simultaneous streams, previously cost $13.99 per month before it was raised to $15.49 per month in the United States. For the basic plan, with one stream, the cost has raised by $1, to $9.99 per month.