Big news in streaming–YouTube TV is releasing their new genre-based subscription plans. These tiered plans are a huge shift from their previous one-size-fits all streaming model, which cost $82.99 monthly. Conversely, the cheapest of the new plans costs just $54.99 a month. This means that users can start saving on their YouTube TV subscriptions while narrowing in on what they actually want to watch. This is exciting news, but something about this streaming story feels oddly familiar. Ironically, the rollout of these new plans highlights that we may not have come as far from cable as we thought.
The layout for the new YouTube TV subscription plans
With this new release, YouTube streaming is becoming more affordable and more customizable. Previously, the only subscription option available was the the Base Plan. This essentially gave subscribers access to everything YouTube TV had to offer (sports, entertainment, live-streams, you name it). But the downfall of so many options is that often subscribers pay for way more than what they use. Additionally, the Base Plan price comes in steeper than many competitors. A prime example is the DirectTV Choice Package which starts at a base price of $59.99 monthly (and has cheaper packs available). The launch of the new tiered plans fixes these issues.
By choosing the category which best fits your preferences, you can save money and still watch all your favorites. That being said, if you still prefer the whole enchilada or are just chronically indecisive (I get it), don’t worry — the original plan will still be an option. But for those excited about the new categories, here are four confirmed of the 10+ plans YouTube TV has promised:
- Entertainment plan ($54.99 per month)
- Sports plan ($64.99 per month)
- News + Entertainment + Family plan ($69.99 per month)
- Sports + News plan ($71.99 per month)
Major savings (with even bigger discounts for new users) and genre-specific categories is not all that’s new. YouTube TV streamers will have the option to customize their bundled plans even further with extra add-ons. Flexibility will be as big of a selling point for the new model as it is in watching your favorite gymnastics routine in the next LA28 Olympics. (I know that’s looking ahead, but aren’t we missing the Olympics already?) Plus, it’s a great example of something you could watch through the Sports plan subscription which offers national broadcasting through affiliates like NBC.
So are the YouTube TV subscription plans all that?
There’s no argument against this being a big improvement for YouTube TV subscribers. The customizable elements of these new plans truly are inspired. But one has to admit that the overarching idea isn’t necessarily unique. After all, the concept of saving money by only paying for selective entertainment is nothing new, nor is the convenience of choosing what you specifically want to watch when you want to watch it. In fact–it’s kind of what streaming is all about.
While it’s not a perfect parallel, there is a strong resemblance between the shift from YouTube TV’s Base plan to the new bundles and between the original shift from cable to digital streaming. Users are opting to pay less money for greater control over their media. Importantly, they are doing so even at the loss of sheer volume of content. What’s funny is that if this launch is considered somewhat repetitive, no one seemed to notice the shift “backwards” in streaming trends. Perhaps traditional cable was overly demonized by the streaming movement. This is especially possible being that some of its weaknesses (like paying for content you don’t use) have persisted. YouTube TV prices were even becoming comparable with cable prices. This is not to discredit the value of streaming or YouTube TV’s Base model, but it is worth noting. Either way, the new plans seem to be a nudge back in the right direction.
And you’ve got to hand it to them, with their current discounts the YouTube TV offers are tempting. YouTube will also continue building momentum and anticipation by releasing their plan options over the course of several weeks, with many of the plans yet to be revealed. This is a strategy to keep the conversation going, which in this day and age is hard to do. Overall, the launch of the new YouTube TV subscription plans really is big news, even if it feels more like rediscovery than anything revolutionary.