When YouTube TV launched in 2017, it was like manna from heaven for disgruntled cable subscribers. At just $35 per month, Google’s video empire launched a streaming service that invited a large number of people to cut the cord for the first time and never look back.
But after years of consistent price hikes and carriage disputes, what’s old is new again and YouTube TV is just as expensive and just as exhausting as any cable company that came before it. And many sports fans are asking themselves when enough is enough.
The latest news of a sudden carriage dispute with Fox right before the start of football season has sent shockwaves. Not only is the beginning of the NFL season in jeopardy, but this weekend’s Ohio State-Texas college football clash is as well.
In a letter to its over 9 million subscribers, YouTube TV offered a $10 credit if the dispute carries on “for an extended period of time.”
We want to be transparent about these discussions: if we are unable to reach an agreement with Fox by August 27, 2025, their content may become unavailable. If this happens, this will impact channels like the Fox Broadcast Network, Fox News, and Fox Sports, as well as any Library recordings you have from these channels.
We know how frustrating it is to lose channels, which is why it’s our goal to keep Fox on YouTube TV. We’re committed to continuing to work with Fox to reach an agreement, but if their content becomes unavailable for an extended period of time, we’ll offer our subscribers a $10 credit.
The $10 credit for missing the biggest college football game of the season, the NFL, and loads more programming is insulting to subscribers who have seen what once was the best valued distributor turn into a product approaching the traditional cable bundle.
YouTube TV was once a great option for cord cutters. Local networks, major cable channels, unlimited DVR space, all for a hugely affordable rate. But those days are now long gone.
In the last five years, the price of YouTube TV has ballooned from $35 all the way to $82.99 in just five years, a whopping 137% increase.
And as part of that increase, the old cable headaches of carriage disputes have often reared their ugly head. Back in 2021, all Disney channels were removed from YouTube TV for less than 48 hours before an agreement was reached. At the time, YouTube TV said it would adjust its base plan pricing for the dispute from $64.99 to $49.99 until it was resolved.
Compare that to a $10 discount less than a year after YouTube TV hiked prices by $10 per month, and it’s easy to see why there is a growing lack of discontent with the streaming service.
This comes on the heels of YouTube TV not being available to access content for the new ESPN DTC product at launch like other distributors. And it comes as Sunday Ticket still charges exorbitant prices for its premium service that came with a $2 billion annual cost.
The 9 million YouTube TV subscribers have to ask themselves how many more price hikes and carriage disputes are they going to put up with, especially now that every major network offers their content directly to consumers. With of both Fox and ESPN launching their own DTC services, and offering them as a bundled package, sports fans have more options than ever before when it comes to picking and choosing their streaming packages.
For a long time, YouTube TV was a no-brainer as the base package. But now it has become the same thing it was created to replace.
About Matt Yoder