As a film enthusiast with a lifelong passion for television, I find myself grappling with the constant stream of price hikes from popular streaming services. It seems like every year brings another increase, and this January is no exception with YouTube TV joining the fray.
If you’re among the over 8 million subscribers of YouTube TV, brace yourself for another price hike coming in January. Introduced in 2017 as a budget-friendly alternative to traditional cable, it provides round-the-clock live streaming of various channels and has since added on-demand movies and live sports. Originally priced at $34.99/month, the service has bumped up its cost three times so far, without even considering the extra add-ons available.
According to The Wrap, YouTube TV’s monthly price is increasing from $72.99 to $82.99 as of today for new subscribers, and for existing users, this change will take effect in their next billing cycle on or after January 13. In an email sent out today by Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, the reason given for this increase was the escalating cost of content and the commitment to enhancing the quality of their service.
“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, like unlimited DVR storage and multiview, and supporting YouTube TV’s breadth of content and vast on-demand library of movies and shows.”
Just like how I, as a movie enthusiast, enjoy streaming platforms like Hulu and Prime Video, I also appreciate that YouTube offers an upgrade to its service by incorporating cable channels at an additional cost. Options such as Starz, Max, Paramount+, MGM+, and even NFL Sunday Ticket are available. However, if you’re a die-hard football fan like myself, eagerly anticipating Patrick Mahomes leading the Chiefs towards another Super Bowl win this year, be prepared to spend a significant amount – $479 without YouTube TV or $264 with it. That’s quite a bit of money, but hey, who can put a price on watching Mahomes in action? Sorry for the football-centric example, but I just couldn’t help myself!
YouTube TV Isn’t the Only Service Raising Its Prices
YouTube TV is planning to boost its prices for existing subscribers in January, following suit as Hulu + Live TV upped their cost from $76.99 per month to $82.99 per month back in October. Max has also signaled a future increase in subscription fees by 2025, and Netflix seems to be heading the same way. Disney, however, isn’t avoiding this trend, as they hiked up the prices on all their standalone tiers of Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ earlier this year. Fortunately for its customers, Disney offers a bundle consisting of Disney+, Hulu, and Max for $18.99 per month to help ease the financial impact.
Despite continually increasing subscription costs and additional channel fees, one might ponder if it’s worth continuing at all. Perhaps returning to the traditional cable service of “appointment TV,” where you couldn’t avoid watching certain shows, could offer a simpler solution? Yes, you’d forgo some exceptional original content, but when considering the lengthy gaps between episodes of series like Stranger Things, signing up for a streaming service, watching ten episodes in one go, and then cancelling seems like a viable option. However, as streamers inevitably start to implement contracts, which could be their endgame strategy, this scenario may not last forever.
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2024-12-12 21:32