news
13 Dec 2024
If you're a YouTube TV subscriber, your monthly bill is about to get bigger — again.
Alphabet-owned YouTube is hiking the price of its popular TV streaming service, which has more than 8 million subscribers. Beginning in January, the cost of the platform will jump to $82.99 per month, up from $72.99.
The latest price increase for YouTube TV stems from rising content costs, the company said.
"We don't make these decisions lightly, and we realize this has an impact on our members. We are committed to bringing you features that are changing the way we watch live TV," YouTube TV said in part in an email to subscribers Thursday.
The price hike will be reflected in members' first billing cycle after January 13. Subscribers can check the plan they subscribe to by checking their account membership settings.
YouTube acknowledged that some viewers might drop their subscriptions in light of the price hike, and reminded customers that they may do so at any time.
YouTube follows other major streaming services in raising prices for consumers this year. In August, Disney upped the price of both its ad-supported and ad-free Disney+ services by $2. An ad-supported subscription costs $9.99, while the ad-free version costs $15.99 monthly. It also hiked the price of its Hulu + Live TV bundle.
Apple TV+, Disney+ and Paramount+ have also either raised their prices, offered new service tiers or cracked down on password sharing (CBS News is owned by Paramount Global, which offers the streaming service Paramount+.)
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.
YouTube TV has boosted its price repeatedly since launching in 2017, when a subscription ran $35 a month. By 2019, the monthly cost was $50. YouTube last increased the charge in March 2023 to $72.99.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.