YouTube TV just got more expensive.
The Google-owned live TV streaming service on Tuesday said it’s increasing its monthly fee 30%, from $49.99 per month to $64.99 per month. The change is effective immediately for those signing up for YouTube TV, and will be reflected on the next bill for current customers.
“We don’t take these decisions lightly, and realize how hard this is for our members,” the company said in a blog post. “That said, this new price reflects the rising cost of content and we also believe it reflects the complete value of YouTube TV, from our breadth of content to the features that are changing how we watch live TV.”
YouTube TV’s price hike coincides with the service adding a number of ViacomCBS channels on Tuesday, including BET, CMT, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, TV Land and VH1. A half dozen more ViacomCBS channels are expected to hit the service later this year. Overall, YouTube TV’s base plan includes more than 85 channels. The last time YouTube TV increased its monthly subscriber fee was April 2019.
Tuesday’s announcement comes as cable and satellite providers are coming off a record-setting quarter for customer cancelations. Pay-TV providers lost more than 2 million customers during Q1, as cheaper alternatives like YouTube TV, as well as other factors like the coronavirus pandemic, led to customers ditching their service.
