It may seem like YouTube TV is always increasing in price but the live TV service has only encountered five price increases in the eight years it has been operating. The most recent of which arrived in December 2024 and marked the first price increase in almost two years.
In this article, we are taking a look back at every one of those YouTube TV price increases.
YouTube TV Price Increase Timeline
Since launching in 2017, the cost of a YouTube TV subscription has more than doubled. Below is a summary of every YouTube TV price increase so far.
| Date | Increase p/m | Price p/m |
|---|---|---|
| Feb. 2017 | Launch | $34.99 |
| March 2018 More Info ↓ | $5 | $39.99 |
| April 2019 More Info ↓ | $10 | $49.99 |
| June 2020 More Info ↓ | $15 | $64.99 |
| March 2023 More Info ↓ | $8 | $72.99 |
| Dec. 2024 More Info ↓ | $10 | $82.99 |
When YouTube TV first launched, it offered incredible value to subscribers. The channel lineup was good, subscribers were gifted with a free and unlimited cloud DVR, and the experience was pretty reliable in general. Best of all, a subscription only cost $35 a month.
However, YouTube TV wasn’t available everywhere during this initial period. Instead, the service gradually rolled out to new locations over time and it wasn’t until 2019 when YouTube TV first claimed to offer nationwide coverage.
Even before the service became available nationwide, the price had already started to creep up. Other changes, including adjustments to the channel lineup, also started to become a regular occurrence as well. Over the years since, YouTube TV has continually refined the channel lineup as well as the cost of its base live TV plan.
YouTube TV Increases To $40/month
As mentioned, YouTube TV first launched in the United States in February 2017 with a standard subscription priced at $34.99 per month. The first proper price hike arrived in March 2018 when the cost of a YouTube TV subscription increased by $5 to $39.99 per month.
The 2018 price increase was actually announced on February 14 but didn’t take effect until March 13, providing consumers with a one-month warning. This price increase was also only for those signing up to the service after that date. All existing subscribers, as well as those that signed up to the service between Feb. 14 and March 13, were guaranteed to be locked in at the $35/mo rate.
The company also attempted to soften the blow of the price rise by announcing the addition of a number of new channels. In fact, the change in channel lineup took effect before the price increase (Feb. 2018), and resulted in subscribers gaining access to Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, and Turner Classic Movies, among others.
YouTube TV Increases To $50/month
The second major price increase for YouTube TV arrived in April of 2019 and this one was different for a number of reasons.
Firstly, the amount that a subscription increased by was $10 per month. At double the previous price increase, this took the cost up to $49.99 per month.
Secondly, the 2019 change also affected existing subscribers, resulting in the first YouTube TV price increase to universally impact all subscribers.
As this price increase also affected existing subscribers, those that had stayed with the service since the very early days were the worst hit. Any subscriber who signed up before the 2018 price increase were locked in at $34.99 per month. As they were subjected to the same increase, legacy subscribers saw their monthly bill rise by $15.
Although the price increase took affect from April 10 (2019) for new subscribers, existing subscribers didn’t see their prices increase until on or after May 13 (2019).
Similar to the 2018 increase, YouTube TV again tried to soften the blow with new channels. At the time of announcing the price increase, YouTube TV confirmed the Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, and MotorTrend were all being added to the channel lineup.
While the price increase took effect the same day it was announced, the various Discovery-related channels didn’t arrive until later in the year.
YouTube TV Increases To $65/month
The next YouTube TV price increase arrived in June 2020 and took the cost of a subscription up to $64.99 per month.
Similar to the 2019 increase, this was also one which affected both new and existing subscribers. While this change took effect on June 30 (2020) for new subscribers, existing subscribers didn’t see their price change until on or after July 30 (2020).
Not only did this result in a $15 price increase for all subscribers, it also meant the cost of YouTube TV had increased by as much as $30 between March 2019 and July 2020 – for those that signed up before March 2018.
As was the case with previous price increases, YouTube TV again announced the availability of new channels. This time it was the turn of various ViacomCBS (now Paramount Global) channels, with YouTube TV subscribers gaining access to BET, CMT, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, TV Land, and VH1.
Technically, these channels had previously been confirmed as coming soon, but it was only when the 2020 price increase was announced that they were added to the base YouTube TV package.
YouTube TV Increases To $73/month
After almost three years without a price increase, YouTube TV announced it was increasing the cost of its base plan to $72.99 per month. The confirmation came on March 16, 2023, and the price increase took immediate effect for new subscribers. In contrast, existing subscribers saw their price increase on or after April 18.
Compared to previous price increases, the March 2023 felt a little different. Up until now, YouTube TV had typically announced new channels along with a price increases. Instead, YouTube TV used this opportunity to announce a price cut for its 4K Plus add-on, dropping the price down to $9.99. Previously, and excluding any promotional discounts, 4K Plus add-on was priced at $19.99 per month.
It is also worth noting that the March 2020 price increase arrived just days after YouTube TV announced early access to its long-awaited Multiview feature, making it possible to watch multiple feeds on the one screen.
YouTube TV Increases To $83/month
The most recent YouTube TV price increase arrived in December 2024. Officially announced on Dec. 12, the increase added another $10 to the price, taking the minimum cost up to its current $82.99/mo rate.
While the increase took effect immediately for new subscribers, existing subscribers were given a month to adjust to the new pricing, with their cost increasing on or after Jan. 13, 2025.
As was the case with the March 2023 increase, YouTube TV didn’t announce any new channels (or additional features) at the same time as announcing the price increase.
Does YouTube TV Still Offers Good Value?
YouTube TV has encountered five major price increases since the service launched. The greatest increase was $15 in 2020 which took the monthly cost of a YouTube TV subscription up to $64.99.
The most recent price increase arrived in December of 2024, adding $10, and increasing the price of the base plan to $82.99 per month.
In spite of five price increases that have resulted in the base cost more than doubling over the years, YouTube TV continues to offer good value overall. The combination of a decent selection of channels, an unlimited DVR, and additional premium features like Multiview, makes YouTube TV a good option for many homes.
This is even more true when considering all of the other live TV streaming services have gone through their own price increases over the past few years.
That said, there is no escaping that YouTube TV is now an expensive live TV service. While this is justified through its premium status, there are many homes that won’t find enough value in YouTube TV to justify the current price.
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