YouTube TV Adds More Channels, Hikes Price

If you’ve been enjoying YouTube TV, get ready for more content to head your way. YouTube announced their intention to begin offering 8 new channels including Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, Investigation Discovery, Animal Planet, TLC, Travel Channel, and MotorTrend. They also announced plans to begin carrying OWN later this year, and Epix is now included for free.

As is the case with most other acquisitions, with more content comes higher cost. Effective immediately rates for YouTube TV will increase from $49.99 to $54.99 a month for new subscribers. Existing subscribers will also be subjected to the increase, but not until May 13th.

The price increase from YouTube is the latest in what has become a bit of a trend amongst streaming services. AT&T’s ‘DirecTV Now’ plans jumped a full $15 for some subscribers, Netflix is slated to increase their charges about $3 monthly on average, and now YouTube TV is joining in as well. With almost each scenario, the providers use the availability of more content as justification for price increases. Most of the time though, with offering more content, those same services are enjoying increased profit well BEFORE any rate increases are factored in.

Hopefully there is an end in sight for rate increases for streaming services. The once attractive “skinny bundles” customers have become accustomed to are now starting to look more and more like traditional TV.