YouTube TV Pricing: How Much Does It Cost (And Is It Worth It)?
Despite the fact that cutting cable and satellite television has become a more popular option for many people, that doesn't mean they no longer want watch any form of live television. They would just rather purchase their channels from a digital service than needing to have some person come out an install a box or a dish that will end up costing more money than they wish to spend for a series of programs they may not want.
Among the digital TV options is YouTube TV, branching off from the immensely popular streaming site. The service offers over 100 channels, ranging from your standard networks to basic cable stations like HGTV, Nickelodeon, and Turner Classic Movies. It features a DVR system in case you aren't available during the show you want to watch live. In practice, it works like a basic cable provider, just without installation and hardware (along with the fees).
At a base level, YouTube TV costs $72.99 per month, though it is currently offering a discounted rate of $50.99 per month for your first three months of service for new customers. That sounds like quite a lot of money, especially when you factor in the streaming services like Netflix or Hulu you may already pay for ... and that it doesn't include premium add-ons like NFL Sunday Ticket or Max. The question then becomes if it is the better deal people think it to be.
Is it actually cheaper than cable?
The biggest difference between YouTube TV and providers like Spectrum and DIRECTV is the lack of hidden fees. When you sign up for YouTube TV, you pay for exactly that. The advertised price of $72.99 will be your bill, plus taxes. That cannot be said for the others. Let's look at DIRECTV. Its most basic package is advertised at $69.99. However, the actual price you'd be paying per month before taxes is $84.99, because of advanced receiver service and regional sports fees. You're also signing up for a two year contract. If you decide to break that contract and cancel the service, there will be a cancellation fee, which YouTube TV doesn't have. This basic package also doesn't include some channels that YouTube TV does, particularly sports networks like NBA TV.
When it comes to Spectrum, fees are similar. Again, the base TV plan seems like a discount at $59.99, but it doesn't include some regional sports channels, and there are still more fees that number doesn't tell you. Right off the bat, you will be treated to a broadcast TV surcharge of $23.20 per month. You also need a cable box, which will run you $10.99 a month, and if you need multiple boxes, each one costs an additional $10.99. Plus, there's DVR, which comes standard with YouTube TV. Here, it's $4.99. You're up to $99.17 before any taxes or premium stations.
Premium add-ons
All of this is not to say that YouTube TV doesn't have a way of getting hidden fees out of you, but the way it upcharges is through premium stations. If you want NFL Sunday ticket, that would be $39 more a month. If you want a bundle of Max, Showtime, and Starz, that's an additional $29.99 a month. If you want to watch things in 4K and have unlimited simultaneous streams for your account, rather than the three the basic plan allows, that's $9.99 per month. If you add all those together, you are headed for a bill well over $100 per month.
However, services like DIRECTV and Spectrum charge you for these things as well. DIRECTV does offer a package that includes these things, but it's the most expensive at $190.98 per month if you include all the fees (but don't include taxes). If you want to be able to stream 4K for Spectrum, that'll be an additional $5 per month, and this is only available if you are streaming it through an Apple TV 4K.
What you can say about YouTube TV is that it is honest about how it is getting you to pay more. Even so, you'd still be paying less for that than the traditional ways of getting your live TV.