Saving money by ditching cable and streaming is becoming more and more difficult, especially with the recently announced YouTube TV price hike coming in January 2025. But some consumers have discovered YouTube TV isn’t too keen on the mass exodus of subscribers.
Yet Another Price Hike for YouTube TV
Originally, YouTube TV started out at around $35 in 2017. When I subscribed to get my local stations and a handful of other channels I loved watching on cable regularly, I was paying around $65.
If you’re a subscriber, you probably received the same email I did just a few days ago. Yet another price hike. In 2023, it went up to $72.99. Now, it’s jumping another $10 to $82.99/month. Suddenly, this is starting to look more like my old cable bill.
Granted, when I started comparing the number of channels YouTube TV has versus competing live TV providers, the price is either on par or cheaper. But it’s still terrible to have to pay this much when we were all promised streaming would be cheaper.
Users Understandably Furious
Anytime a streaming platform raises rates, users get furious, with many deciding it’s time to save money – not just by cutting cable, but cutting back on streaming services. For example, Netflix’s latest price increase didn’t go over well at all.
When users got the email about the YouTube TV price hike, numerous users hit the cancel button immediately. After all, it’s the easiest way to fight back against higher prices.
But why are so many users choosing to stay after they’ve canceled?
YouTube TV Scrambles to Keep Customers
YouTube TV doesn’t want anyone to cancel. According to a user thread, Yet, many users canceling via their desktop, browser, or phone are getting a special offer. Stick around and enjoy six more months at the $72.99/month price. This saves you $60 during the period.
It seems more users are getting the offer than not. However, if you pay for YouTube TV through the Google Play Store, you probably won’t get the offer. At the time of writing, users were still getting the offer, so if you’re on the fence about whether to cancel, I’d suggest at least seeing if you get the offer.
I chatted with YouTube TV support about the price hike. I mentioned a retention discount, but that was completely ignored. However, I did get the cookie cutter reason about rising content costs and how I’m still getting the best value.
If you decide to cancel YouTube TV, see how you can save on streaming with these tips. Of course, you can always subscribe to YouTube to skip the ads. Some of my local news stations even broadcast live on YouTube.
Image credit: Unsplash. All screenshots by Crystal Crowder.
