YouTube TV has hiked the fees for its service
The over the top (OTT) service provider is increasing fees for all customers to $49.99 per month after adding more channels. Depending on how long the customer has been a member of the service, this represents an increase of about 25% to 43%.
The new monthly YouTube TV fee of $49.99 came into effect for new customers on April 10, while existing subscribers will be billed under the new pricing after May 13.
For existing members, your core plan price will change starting with your first billing cycle after May 13, 2019.
— YouTube TV At ? (@YouTubeTV) April 10, 2019
However, the new fee is $54.99 per month for YouTube TV subscribers billed through Apple.
The fee per month for the original YouTube plan launched in 2017 was $35. In March 2018, after concluding a deal to carry Turner Channels, YouTube increased the price for its TV service to $40 per month only for new subscribers.
Existing subscribers on the $35-per-month were grandfathered in.
However, the latest price increase applies to all YouTube TV subscribers.
The price increase comes after YouTube concluded a new carriage deal with Discovery that covers linear programming as well as on-demand titles. The deal will allow YouTube TV to add eight new networks, including Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, TLC, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, MotorTrend, and Travel Channel.
This means that subscribers now have access to more channels than before. YouTube TV now offers more than 70 channels, and for an additional charge of $6.00/month, customers may also get access to the premium service EPIX.
Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) is also expected to launch on YouTube TV by the end of 2019.