The upcoming YouTube TV price increase is making customers wonder about the original cost of the service. On Thursday, December 12, YouTube sent an email to customers alerting them that the cost for YouTube TV would see yet another price hike from $73 per month to $83 per month by January 13, 2025. Many were interested in the service as a way to cut the cord for traditional cable, but that appeal has diminished since it launched almost a decade ago in 2017. Here’s how much YouTube TV has increased in price by year.
What is the YouTube TV price history?
The original price for YouTube TV was $35 per month in 2017, meaning that the new $83 per month price starting in 2025 would be more than a 230% increase.
Here’s a breakdown of how YouTube TV has steadily increased its price over the last eight years:
- 2017: $35 per month
- 2018: $40 per month
- 2019: $50 per month
- 2020: $65 per month
- 2023: $73 per month
- 2025: $83 per month
In the recent email, Google stated that the 2025 price hike was made because of “the rising cost of content and the investments we make in the quality of our service.” He says that it didn’t “make these decisions lightly.”
It’s difficult to compare the $83 per month price tag to the cost of traditional cable packages, because a large number of customers get cable service through bundles along with phone and internet. As noted by U.S News & World Report, the average TV-only service in 2022 ranged from “$20 to $149.99 per month with an average cost of $78.58 per month.”
That said, the comparable Hulu + Live TV package costs $82.99 per month at base, though it comes packaged with Disney+ and ESPN+.
After YouTube TV’s price hike in 2023, the National Advertising Review Board (NARB) recommended that Google discontinue its claim that the service was “$600 less than cable” in a pair of commercials. Per Ars Technica, Google attempted to appeal the decision, but agreed to “modify or cease the disputed advertising claim.”
Available in November, here’s how to access your YouTube 2024 recap for music and gaming.
