As a long-time subscriber to YouTube TV, I must admit that I was taken aback by the recent announcement of yet another price hike. I remember when I switched from traditional cable to this streaming platform, it felt like a breath of fresh air, and the affordability was a major selling point. Fast forward to now, and I’m staring at an extra $10 per month on my bill, which is quite a blow.
For a few years now, I’ve chosen to switch from DirecTV to YouTube TV for my live television needs. This change has been quite beneficial as there have been very few problems experienced. I’m content with my decision, especially considering the NFL Sunday Ticket offers. However, YouTube TV is increasing its prices for the second time in under two years, and other streaming service deals are starting to look very appealing.
Let’s delve deeper into the specifics of the price increase and examine YouTube TV’s rationale behind it before jumping into personal opinions about the news.
How Much Is YouTube TV Going Up In Price?
As a gamer, I recently received an alert from YouTube TV about an increase in my subscription cost, effective mid-December. To my surprise, the new base plan costs a significant $10 more, bumping up the monthly fee to a total of $82.99.
The company announced that the price increase for their service would start on January 13, a month before it officially goes into effect. This adjustment could impact the viewing experience of millions as they plan for the 2025 TV schedule. Despite the fact that price hikes are frequent in home entertainment streaming services, YouTube TV’s rate increases stand out as significantly higher compared to others. Customers who are currently benefiting from promotional discounts will not feel the impact until their promotional periods end.
Over the last two years, there have been price hikes, preceded by about three years of no adjustments.
It’s questionable for YouTube TV to ask customers to pay an additional $18 within two years, without providing current customers with compelling reasons to continue their subscription. This move is particularly concerning given that the service started at $34.99/month in 2017, meaning the next price increase would represent a significant jump of approximately 137%.
The company’s explanation for the changes hasn’t exactly won them any goodwill, either.
How YouTube TV Explained Its Next Price Increase
Through an email to our subscribers and multiple posts on social media platforms, including YouTube, we announced that there will be an increase in our subscription prices. Here’s the message we shared:
Starting January 13, 2025, due to increasing content expenses and our commitment to maintaining high-quality service, we’re raising our monthly fee from $72.99 to $82.99. We understand that this change may affect our subscribers, and we don’t take such decisions lightly.
The company doesn’t provide specifics about the reasons behind the growing costs of content production or their investments, making it unclear why such significant increases are required and if additional hikes might occur in the future. However, it can be speculated that an increase in customer base may necessitate more maintenance work to maintain a high-quality user experience for those who continue as customers.
Speaking of, here’s how YouTube TV continued its message:
Here’s my attempt at paraphrasing your text:
Those responsible for this decision seem aware that certain users may choose to discontinue their own plans independently. Kudos to them, as the reactions to the announcement mirrored my sentiments towards switching to another service.
Customers Like Me Are Thinking About Switching Services
- “To keep up with rising costs..” lie. Outright lie. You all want to make more money plain and simple. Cancelling January 21 after the college football national championship. – @bdactual
- You’ve literally offered nothing new since I got you for $54 a month. You’re greedy and should be ashamed – @i_shoot_RAWs
- Cancelled. Most of us want a handful of channels – not a recreation of Comcast bundles. – @DavidAlGregory
- Cancelled this morning after using it for over five years. It’s not worth it. – @MissJilianne
- What are the rising content costs? Be specific. You offer the same channels as you did four years ago. You don’t offer any lesser packages at all. At least give us options to lower the cost. We should be able to have a baseline options with local channels, sports, weather channel, and some other channels for $40 flat fee. This is mind boggling that you think $1,000 a year is justifiable for live TV service. – @redraidertech
- If you think the new Zen channel justifies this, I got news… – @UCNote
As a fan, it’s clear that many shared the view that streaming platforms were meant to challenge the dominance of traditional cable and satellite providers. This perspective is brilliantly encapsulated by the clever use of “Family Guy” imagery, suggesting a shift in power from one giant to another.
It would be intriguing to observe whether the strong backlash against the price hike from YouTube TV users will lead YouTube TV executives to respond with new, customizable subscription plans. Given that they haven’t done so thus far, my hope is not particularly high, but time will tell.
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2024-12-16 02:07