YouTube TV adds more channels, raises price for the second time

Google announced today on YouTube’s official blog that its YouTube TV streaming service now includes more channels. Unfortunately for subscribers, YouTube TV also gets yet another price hike.

First, the good news — YouTube TV now features Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, and MotorTrend. The streaming service also features Epix for an additional charge, with OWN: Opra Winfrey Network coming later this year.

With the new channels, YouTube TV now boasts over 70 channels. Even better, Google announced back in March that its streaming TV service is now available in every U.S. TV market.

With channel options and availability no longer holding the service back, YouTube TV can better boast its feature set. YouTube TV provides an unlimited DVR service, the ability to add up to six users to your account, and the ability to watch TV from a wide array of devices.

Unfortunately, all of these features have come at an ever-increasing cost. Today’s price hike raises YouTube TV’s monthly subscription from $39.99 to $49.99. Google issued a similar price hike back in March 2018, when YouTube TV went from $34.99 to $39.99.

The new price hike might make some think twice about getting a YouTube TV subscription. For example, Hulu + Live TV costs $44.99 each month and provides access to live TV and Hulu’s streaming library. PlayStation Vue’s Core package features 73 channels and costs $49.99 each month.

YouTube TV still has its advantages, such as unlimited cloud DVR and a maximum of six users per account. That said, this is the second price hike in a little over a year. Whether this is becoming a trend or whether these are two isolated events is anyone’s guess at this point.

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