Did YouTube TV Drop Its Monthly Price to $49.99?
Update 12/20/21 – YouTube TV and Disney Corp. have come to an agreement, and YouTube TV pricing is back to its normal level, so the $49.99 price was only because certain channels – ESPN in particular – were off the platform due to negotiations.
If you check the main page for YouTube TV you’ll see its price is showing as $49.99 per month. And no, this doesn’t appear to be a promotion.
For those familiar with the live-TV streaming service YouTube TV, you’ll likely know its regular monthly price has been $64.99 since June of 2020 when it increased its pricing from a very reasonable $49.99.
Now that $49.99 per month price point is showing once again.
Whether this is a mistake, or a permanent change to YouTube TV’s pricing (until the next price increase, that is) is unknown.
But, at $49.99, YouTube TV is a very good deal, which makes it much more competitive, not only against other live-TV streaming services (DirecTV Stream, fubo TV, Hulu with Live TV, etc.) but with traditional cable and satellite services, too.
Why the Price Change?
There are a couple of things that may explain this change.
It was just announced YouTube TV has removed ESPN and the FX channel – Walt Disney Co. owned channels – due to carriage negotiations which have broken down.
Additionally, many of the other live-TV streaming channels have money-saving credit card Offers such as Chase Offers and Amex Offers that lower the monthly price – for a month up to three months – to more reasonable levels.
My guess is the loss of ESPN is why YouTube TV is now showing this lower price.
Which makes me wonder if this is a permanent change.
I guess we’ll see when/if Google/YouTube TV and Disney come to an agreement.
What’s not clear is whether current YouTube TV subscribers will get a discount on their monthly bill?
To be fair, they should, equalling the $15 discount new subscribers are able to take advantage of.
YOUTUBE TV
YouTube TV, for many who stream their television content rather than subscribe to cable or satellite, took over at the top of the list for live TV streaming platforms last year.
It was an incredible deal until it raised its price to $64.99 for its only subscription package June 30, 2020.
Now it may be back to an incredible deal. Only time will tell.
YouTube TV has always been on my short list to move to if DirecTV falls short with its retention offers.
Last fall (2020) I tried fubo TV during my DirecTV negotiations and found it just wasn’t the right fit for my viewing preferences.
I was very close to switching to YouTube TV until DirecTV ponied up an acceptable retention offer once again.
At $49.99, it’s a much more enticing option.
WRAP UP
YouTube TV has dropped its monthly pricing to $49.99.
There are no signs this is a promotion, or temporary price decrease.
However, there are current circumstances that may explain why we’re seeing this new price point – the dropping of Disney-owned channels, the biggest of which is ESPN, being primary due to carriage negotiations that have broken down.
We’ll have to see if this pricing remains long-term.
Of course, you can subscribe at this lower price, and cancel at any time if the price increases, once again, or you find YouTube TV is not right for you.
