YouTube TV has gotten dramatically more expensive over the years, but is it still more affordable than traditional cable or satellite?
The high cost of cable TV has been a huge part of the rise of streaming services, as well as live TV streaming services such as Google’s YouTube TV. When it launched, YouTube TV was incredibly affordable, but prices have continued to rise. Is it still the cheaper alternative? Let’s compare.
YouTube TV’s latest price hike
As of April 18, 2023, YouTube TV will raise its base pricing to $72.99 per month. That’s up from the $64.99 per month price that was set in place in 2020, and at this point over twice the cost of the original YouTube TV package.
YouTube TV gets price hike to $72.99 per month
Why the jump? Google attributed the jump to “content costs.” This refers to the deals behind the scenes that keep channels on YouTube TV, and often have rising costs on the part of the content provider. YouTube TV has had public disputes in the past over these costs, often with channels departing briefly before returning, or never coming back at all. MLB Network was one recent departure, while YouTube TV did manage to renew its contract with The CW to keep those channels in place.How much does cable cost compared to YouTube TV?
For many, the rising cost of YouTube TV, and its competitors, leads to some obvious questions. For one, is it even worth it in the first place?
But, more importantly, is YouTube TV actually more affordable than cable in 2023?
To answer that question, let’s take a look at the pricing of some of the biggest cable TV providers in the United States. These companies are notorious for hiding their full costs, but we’ve done what we can to pull actual pricing that customers would pay after promotional periods, which often deliver steep discounts on cable TV packages.
