|
On
Thursday, YouTube announced that it's upping the price of its
streaming service's base plan by $10 — citing “the rising cost
of content" and other investments. The new $82.99 a month price
tag will go into effect starting Jan. 13 for existing
subscribers, and immediately for new customers who sign up going
forward.
“We don’t make these decisions lightly, and we realize this
impacts our members,” YouTube wrote on X.
Google's video giant also directed customers to an online FAQ
for more information. Those who currently pay discounted prices,
for example, won't see the change until their trial or
promotional has elapsed.
YouTube TV has rolled out a series of price hikes over the
years. When launched back in 2017, the going price of its
streaming package was $35 a month. By 2019, that fee rose to $50
— and has climbed higher and higher since. The last time YouTube
TV raised its base price, then to $72.99, was in March 2023.
Earlier increases arrived as YouTube TV added more and more
channels for subscribers to stream live. But licensing disputes
have also added pressures — and YouTube has instead attributed
its more recent hikes, like those announced both Thursday and
last year, to rising operational costs.
YouTube TV currently advertises more than 100 channels from
broadcast, cable and regional sports networks, a DVR with
unlimited storage and up to six accounts per household with
three concurrent streams. And the platform says its latest price
increase won't change any of that.
While YouTube TV's live offerings are much different than
individual online libraries seen from other popular streamers
today, it’s no secret that streaming is getting more expensive
overall — particularly as consumers juggle multiple
subscriptions to access all the content they want. In recent
years, big names like Netflix, Apple TV+ and Disney+ have all
either hikes their prices or added things like ad-supported
tiers and password limits.
And more and more streamers have also tapped into bundles to get
in on the live action. YouTube TV's new $82.99 price is the same
as that advertised for Disney’s Hulu + Live TV bundle.
As of February, YouTube said it had more than 8 million YouTube
TV subscribers.
All contents © copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved
|
|
