YouTube TV hikes prices for new subscribers, adds missing Turner channels like CNN & Carto...

AppleInsider

Google's YouTube TV on Wednesday announced the long-awaited addition of Turner networks to its lineup, though new subscribers will soon have to pay a higher monthly fee.

The added channels include the likes of CNN, TBS, TNT, truTV, Turner Classic Movies, and Cartoon Network/Adult Swim. Until now YouTube TV has concentrated on the four major U.S. broadcast networks -- ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox -- as well as associated channels.

Subscribers will also soon be able to watch NBA TV and the MLB Network as part of the base package, and NBA League Pass and MLB.TV for an extra fee.

The catch is that starting on March 13, new subscriptions will cost $40 per month. People signed up before then will still be able to pay $35, even with the higher number of bundled channels.

The service now has clients on a number of platforms, including the iPhone and iPad, and more recently the Apple TV. Other supported options include Android, Chromecast, Roku, the Xbox One, and some non-Android TVs.

Still absent from YouTube TV are Viacom channels like Comedy Central.

auxio

With that single monthly price/no options to choose your own bundle, how is this any different from what the cable providers are doing today?

williamlondon

So let me get this straight. A company that tracks your privacy so it can in turn sell it onto advertisers who want to you convince you to spend money on products and services you neither need nor want (improved by the information provided by this company) is going to charge you $40/month for the luxury of being able to view psychologically manipulating advertisement-laden and sponsored content? All I can say is what good little obedient and compliant consumers they're creating - there's obviously no limit to what these organisations can get people to think and do, the worst aspect of it being that people think they're doing it all willingly, by their own choice.

aieronimo

Big difference between a service like this and traditional cable is no need to rent a channel box.  Verizon charges $10/month per channel box, with no DVR functionality included.  So say you have two televisions: that's $20 / month just to change channels, before you pay for the channel content.

Also, I don't know how / if Google piles on fees to that $40/month price.  But if they don't pile on the fees, then that is another favorable differentiator.

fallenjt

I tried it free for a week and cancelled it. The interface just sucked. DTV Now or Sling TV are still better. I'm not talking about the streaming quality, but the interface.

fallenjt

aieronimo said:

Big difference between a service like this and traditional cable is no need to rent a channel box.  Verizon charges $10/month per channel box, with no DVR functionality included.  So say you have two televisions: that's $20 / month just to change channels, before you pay for the channel content.

Also, I don't know how / if Google piles on fees to that $40/month price.  But if they don't pile on the fees, then that is another favorable differentiator.

Yup...it's like Xfinity internet and TV bundle. They charge you $10/mo for equipment regardless you use the equipment or not even if you only stream the contents through the app.

gatorguy

williamlondon said:

So let me get this straight. A company that tracks your privacy so it can in turn sell it onto advertisers who want to you convince you to spend money on products and services you neither need nor want (improved by the information provided by this company) is going to charge you $40/month for the luxury of being able to view psychologically manipulating advertisement-laden and sponsored content? All I can say is what good little obedient and compliant consumers they're creating - there's obviously no limit to what these organisations can get people to think and do, the worst aspect of it being that people think they're doing it all willingly, by their own choice.

As opposed to your cellular provider, internet provider, and cable TV provider tracking your browsing/streaming/TV viewing habits and using it for better targeting ads among "other" uses? By the way which of those are giving you the service for free in return for your kind data contribution. At least Google isn't hiding what they do, being quite transparent about it and offering clear and concise ways to opt out if it distresses you. I suspect you haven't a clue what those others are tracking, what they're connecting to you, what they do with it, how safely its stored, and worse what private information about you they're selling, something Google will not do.

auxio

aieronimo said:

Big difference between a service like this and traditional cable is no need to rent a channel box.  Verizon charges $10/month per channel box, with no DVR functionality included.  So say you have two televisions: that's $20 / month just to change channels, before you pay for the channel content.

True, but you do need to buy your own streaming device(s) to use YouTube TV.  That said, I much prefer a one-time device cost over a rental fee.  My ISP allows me to purchase a DSL modem rather than rent one, which is nice.

crofford

I’m just a little confused.  Were people paying $35 per month for free channels? And now people are going to pay $40 per month for a couple of more? And this is because they don’t want to pay $40 per month for 200 channels on cable or satellite? And don’t forget you have to buy Internet service in order to use this.  Believe me, nobody hates cable and satellite providers more than me. They suck! But this isn’t even close to competitive with what they offer.

kbeat

crofford said:

I’m just a little confused.  Were people paying $35 per month for free channels? And now people are going to pay $40 per month for a couple of more? And this is because they don’t want to pay $40 per month for 200 channels on cable or satellite? And don’t forget you have to buy Internet service in order to use this.  Believe me, nobody hates cable and satellite providers more than me. They suck! But this isn’t even close to competitive with what they offer.

I have no idea what you mean by people paying $35 a month for free channels. What is a free channel? If you're talking about channels you can get OTA with an antennae, there aren't many of those. If you want almost any basic cable channel, you're paying at least something for it with cable or satellite. Just because it's not a premium channel like HBO, that doesn't mean it's "free." Before today's announcement, YouTube TV included the following channels. $35 a month seems pretty competitive to me: AMC, BBC America , BBC World News, Big Ten Network, Bravo, CBS Sports Network, Chiller, CNBC, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, E!, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, FOX Business, FOX News, Freeform, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, FX, FXM, FXX, Golf Channel, IFC, MSNBC, NBCSN, Nat Geo, Nat Geo Wild, Newsy, Olympic Channel, Oxygen, Pop, SEC Network, Sundance TV, Syfy, Telemundo, Tennis Channel, Universal Kids, Universo , USA, YouTube Red Originals, and WE tv.

jameskatt2

Already, Google is raising prices on their version of Cable TV.

Look for prices to keep going up and up and up.

duckpond49

People. Lets keep it "apples to apples". No equivalence between traditional cable and the new Cut the Cord options. YouTube TV is "no contract" with no equipment charges as are other non-cable options. I was paying about 120/mo for cable that included internet. The choices were lousy and so was the equipment. I now own my equipment, have a better deal on internet and can change my content lineup monthly. Just dropped Sling in favor of Youtube TV. Better lineup for me and now I don't have to load in and out of Sling when channel surfing on sports. Getting better all the time.