YouTube TV this week completed its nationwide rollout and is now available in every television market in the United States, with Glendive, Montana marked as the final area gaining the service (via The Verge). The end of the rollout comes two months after YouTube TV expanded to cover 98 percent of U.S. markets.
Now, YouTube TV will be even more of a competitor in the live TV streaming market, where rivals include Hulu with Live TV, DirecTV Now, PlayStation Vue, SlingTV, FuboTV, and more. Although YouTube TV is available in every market, not every area will have all four major local networks, which is an issue some users have with many over-the-top services.
At the same time that YouTube TV completes its expansion, FuboTV this week announced its first price hike in over a year (via CordCutters). With this change, FuboTV's base backage, Fubo Standard, is now priced at $54.99/month. Previously, this entry-level package was priced at $39.99/month for the first month and then $44.99/month afterwards, so this is a $10/month price hike.
Fubo Standard includes 82 channels, a 30 hour cloud DVR, and two-screen streaming. According to Fubo, the reason for the price increase is because of the addition of popular channels over the past year, like AMC, CNN, TBS, and others. The change takes effect today for new customers signing up for Fubo Standard (with a $10 discount for the first month), and also coincides with a reorganization to its plan tiers that emerged earlier in the week.
Price hikes for live streaming TV services have been quite popular this year, most infamously for DirecTV Now. Earlier in March, the AT&T-owned company confirmed a $10 price hike for all its customers on every plan, meaning that the cheapest DirecTV Now tier is $50/month. The service also changed up its subscription plan lineup for new subscribers and increased the prices for its premium channel add-ons for existing customers.
Just under a year ago DirecTV Now increased its base "Live a Little" tier from $35/month to $40/month to be in line with the market, because most OTT services hit the $40/month price point. With all of the recent price hikes, $50/month is now closer to becoming the standard entry level price for these services, and FuboTV now has one of the most expensive entry level plans.
- SlingTV - $25/month for "Orange and Blue" with limited-time discount
- Hulu With Live TV - $44.99/month
- PS Vue - $44.99/month for "Access" tier
- DirecTV Now - $50/month for "Plus" and "Live a Little"
- FuboTV - $54.99/month for "Standard"
For a deep dive into FuboTV and DirecTV Now, check out our comparison guide on the two streaming platforms.
Top Rated Comments
As for streaming cable I wish someone would have a truly À la carte channels subscription where I could only pay for the 4 channels I watch. Even at $5 a channel, it would be cheaper. Instead I’m left paying $50 for 4 channels and 47 channels I never ever watch.
To me, the ultimate cordcutting means everything is either (1) cost-free, (2) on-demand and ad-free, or (3) truly live (e.g., sports).
I discontinued all and any cable/online streaming subscriptions years ago. I don’t watch TV. Wow. I know, people gonna ask how I could possibly live like this.
Well, I can tell you for certain that my life is a lot better now. I’m more active and my mind is more relaxed.
I feel that TV desensitized me in many ways. It made my mind spin for various reasons, including how much money I wasted. It’s addictive, no doubt. But once you learn to live without TV, you will be so much happier.