YouTube tells customers that the monthly price for YouTube TV's base plan will jump from $73 to $83 in January 2025, after raising it from $65 to $73 in 2023
YouTube TV logo — Streaming services became a popular alternative to cable and satellite television because they were available …
Awful AnnouncingMatt Yoder
Context & Ripple Effects
YouTube TV launched at $35 with broadcast and cable channels, then moved through successive price tiers as its channel lineup expanded. The latest increase follows its 2023 move to $72.99 a month, extending a long-running repricing cycle rather than marking a one-off adjustment.
The relevant backdrop is the unresolved economics of streaming-TV bundles: prior coverage found virtual TV providers could not readily escape the traditional bundle-negotiation model. That makes YouTube TV a useful test of how far a cable alternative can raise recurring revenue while retaining customers.
First-order effects
Base-plan subscribers face a $10 higher monthly bill beginning in January 2025, while YouTube TV raises revenue per subscriber if retention holds.
YouTube TV’s price premium over its own earlier tiers becomes more pronounced, sharpening the value calculation for households that use it chiefly for live channels.
Second-order effects
Rival live-TV streaming services face greater room to raise prices, but also a clearer opening to compete on lower-cost packages or narrower channel bundles.
The increase reinforces distributors’ incentive to press for better programming economics; the earlier 2020 price increase tied to rising content costs shows those costs have repeatedly flowed through to subscribers.
Third-order effects
If repeated increases persist across the category, streaming TV will continue to converge economically with cable: a bundled live-TV product delivered over the internet, rather than a structurally cheaper replacement.
The key uncertainty is demand elasticity: sustained subscriber retention would validate higher recurring pricing, while meaningful churn would increase pressure for smaller, more flexible bundles.
The trend: Live-TV streaming is shifting from low-price cable alternative to mature bundled distribution business, with programming costs increasingly passed through in subscription prices.
Cancelled it the last time it went up. I don't know why anyone would pay $83 a month for this. You can get cable cheaper from your cable company now.
@bdsams.com
Brad Sams on bluesky
Cable tv is back [embedded post]
@mgsiegler.com
M.G. Siegler on bluesky
It's almost like they want to engender the same feeling that cable once did... [embedded post]
@sarcosis.org
@sarcosis.org on bluesky
One step closer to being cable again. [embedded post]
@chriswelch
Chris Welch on threads
Brutal. Just brutal. And you can't even really argue that sports are the reason, seeing as YouTube TV has dropped a large number of regional sports networks in recent years. (4K still costs extra, too...)
@maxwelltani
Max Tani on x
Cable is dying in part because people decided to pay for cable on the internet
@tvanswerman
@tvanswerman on x
Got an offer of a $65 credit from Fubo so...just switched from YouTube TV to Fubo.
@joepompliano
Joe Pompliano on x
YouTube TV is increasing its price to $83 a month starting in January 2025. That means YouTube TV has now doubled in price over the last five years, from $40 to $83 per month, while also removing regional sports networks and other channels like MLB network. That's crazy. [image]
@mikejanela
Mike Janela on x
Damn...feels like @YouTubeTV is raising prices daily $10 jump! This might be my last straw✌️🏼 [image]
@justafamilyman_
U. P. Sr on x
YouTube TV just increased their price again. All that cord cutting to go to these apps only for them to get back to the price of cable. 😂
@tvgrimreaper
@tvgrimreaper on x
Today's reminder: vMVPDs (internet channel bundles) like YouTubeTV, Hulu Live, Fubo, Sling, etc. are terrible negative gross margin businesses. [image]
@jd60pe5
Jordan Decker on x
Wow. @YouTubeTV raising its prices by $10/month again is...something. Cable: [image]
@austin_rief
Austin Rief on x
YouTube TV is now $82.99/month. $1,000/year for live TV feels like a ripoff. [image]
@rheidrick24
Rick Heidrick on x
Remember when @YouTubeTV was like $60~ before taxes? Same. Then it went to $72.99? Same. Now it's jumping up to $82.99 in January. Better start giving us some free 4K channels or something.
@gimmetheludt
@gimmetheludt on x
@JoePompliano @YouTubeTV is criminal. The least they could do is allow custom quad-box of any 4 channels you want. Remember the good ole days when the purpose of YouTube TV was to just watch sports for cheaper than cable?
@bigseanq_
@bigseanq_ on x
My biggest gripe with YouTube TV is that you should automatically get YouTube Premium with it. It's insane that they don't even offer any sort of bundle for those services
@tvgrimreaper
@tvgrimreaper on x
YouTube TV: The price increases will continue until morale improves. [image]