YouTube TV has long been one of our favorite cable TV alternatives. But with this upcoming price hike, that may be changing.
In an email sent out to customers today (including myself), YouTube TV announced that starting January 13, 2025, it will be increasing its monthly subscription price by $10. That means the live TV's starting price point of $72.99 per month is now $82.99 a month. And that's bad news for everyone.
Streaming is no longer cheaper than cable
YouTube TV is not alone in raising its prices. Back in August, Hulu + Live TV raised its prices as part of a larger Disney price hike. It now starts at $83, and at the time, I thought there was a chance it was ruining Hulu's live TV offering.
But turns out Disney was just ahead of the curve. Sling TV is not only one of our favorite cable alternatives but it's also one of our picks for the best streaming services. After a Sling TV price hike though, we were starting to question the service's value when its monthly price went from starting at $40 to starting at $46.
Again, turns out Sling was just ahead of the times. In fact, when Sling wrote about the price increase on its website, they said, "These increases are industry-wide — other leading streaming providers have had increases throughout 2024." And now, after this YouTube TV price hike, it turns out they were right.
So now it's official: Cutting the cord is the same price as cable. Well ... almost. CableTV.com lists Xfinity's cable plans as: Choice TV ($20-$25), Popular TV ($50–$60/mo) and Ultimate TV ($68.50–$80/mo). At first glance, that feels like a bargain, but these figures still don't include hidden fees or regional variations in price and availability. Still, cable's costs are now essentially on par with the best live TV streaming services, which means it's never been more difficult to save on your TV bill without canceling some streaming services.
