General Discussion YouTube TV Price Hike 2025 (3 Viewers)

[Jeff Whitford]

YouTube TV doesn't carry any of the regional sports channels, so there is no fee for that service. Here in Michigan, the regional network is Fanduel Sports Detroit (formerly Bally Sports Detroit, and before that Fox Sports Detroit). It's not a big deal for me, as they carry the Red Wings, Tigers and Pistons. I am a hockey fan, but not a Wings fan, and I no longer follow MLB or the NBA.

As for the price increases, it's not entirely the fault of the cable TV or streaming services, as the content providers are continually raising their prices to the carriers, as well. Of course, that sometimes results in a game of poker between the two sides, and customers are caught in the middle when some stations get removed from a service for a short time while the two sides play hardball with each other.

I would dump live TV completely, but it's the only way for me to get the sports channels, which is pretty much all I watch via traditional live TV. My wife wouldn't be happy if I dumped it, either, as she watches programming on several channels.

Take a look at Fubo for sports

 

[AllanP]

Go into your YouTube TV settings -> Account

Do a cancellation. It will ask you why you are canceling. Select "cost" or "too expensive." It should bring you to a screen that gives you the option of taking a 6-month promotional plan.

Great! Thank you!!

 

[DanH1972]

Streamers want the cable model... high prices for the consumers AND ads a plenty. More profits for shareholders and execs. Everyone else gets reamed.

When Amazon Prime added the extra fee to get the same feature (namely no ads) as before, it was just another indicator of what we had in store. To add insult to injury... certain content continues to be locked with their Freevee service, so even if you pay the extra money you still can't escape ads on certain TV and movie titles.

 

[BobO'Link]

Makes me glad I didn't bother with a streaming package from my ISP or anyone else for that matter.

When I switched to fiber from cable they asked about a streaming package and I countered with "Do you have a package *without* news and sports channels? Basically, the entertainment channels without all the other junk?" to be told "Sorry, no. All packages have news and sports channels." Since we watch neither of those in my house I told them "No thanks. I don't subsidize what I don't watch. Call me when you break them out into separate tiers/packages."

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Take a look at Fubo for sports

YouTube TV has all the sports channels I watch, except one (the NHL Network, which I only watch occasionally). Fubo was more expensive, and didn't have some channels my wife wanted when we compared services.

 

[AllanP]

For anyone in this forum that is reading this post, and has YouTubeTV, I have some valuable information for you.

I found out, through Internet discussion, that if you attempt to cancel the service due to its cost you will be offered a 6-month promotional deal keeping you at the current rate.

So, I went ahead and tried to cancel the service and sure enough, I got this offer...



View attachment 240156

How far did you go to this deal? I’m at the last step (after stating COST as the reason) - now there’s a blue button on the bottom right that says “yes, cancel.” Did you click THAT button to get the offer or will it actually CANCEL my subscription??

 

[Ronald Epstein]

How far did you go to this deal? I’m at the last step (after stating COST as the reason) - now there’s a blue button on the bottom right that says “yes, cancel.” Did you click THAT button to get the offer or will it actually CANCEL my subscription??

It will cancel your membership

I just did some research on the Reddit groups and the offer is no longer appearing for everyone (though some it still is).

The offer should have appeared before the final cancelation.

I have a feeling too many people caught on to the hidden promo offer and the service scaled back on the number of people it was going to offer it to.

 

[AllanP]

It will cancel your membership

I just did some research on the Reddit groups and the offer is no longer appearing for everyone (though some it still is).

The offer should have appeared before the final cancelation.

I have a feeling too many people caught on to the hidden promo offer and the service scaled back on the number of people it was going to offer it to.

Yep! That’s MY luck! As was once sung, if it wasn’t for bad luck, I’d have NO luck at all!

 

[Malcolm R]

Yeah, they can't give everyone a deal or that will make the price increase pointless.

 

[AllanP]

Yeah, they can't give everyone a deal or that will make the price increase pointless.

True dat!

 

[Indy Guy]

I'm an anti-fee person. Smartphone viewing of sites like Home Theater Forum, video blogs, short ad sponsored videos and human interest stories has replaced much of my TV time. I put up with ads, but I support HTF with a subscription because what is offered here is a labor of love and not a scheme for locking patrons into a value vs time used proposition.

I have an antenna in the attic that feeds my Tivo. I record worthwhile over the air material like the recent Mary Poppins special on ABC for delayed viewing where commercials can be bypassed.
I have a large library of content on physical media and it is my primary source for nightly entertainment.
At around 2000+ discs, the reality is that I have almost every title I ever wished to own or time available to enjoy.

Aside from the few new films that catch my attention theatrically, or the occasional TV series that's worth a purchace (1922 and Lucifer were my last acquisitions) the number of titles doesn't grown appreciably. Periodically I weed out content that has grown stale with evolving tastes. Most enticements these days revolve around 4K upgrades and the rare instance of an "ancient" DVD finally getting a HD transfer.

There are only 24 hours a day and surfing streaming offerings is a frustrating waste of time for me. My disc collection is well organized and every title is accessible within seconds. The Tivo stores specials like award shows, the Superbowl and an occasional network series. Avoided service fees go towards my disc collection. These days that tends to revolve around increased quality transfers of the films I love.

With 4K discs I think we are seeing the end of the line with regard to excitement generated by the chance to revisit "old friends". There are few untapped technological tools remaining to remove additional veils of age from what are now (in most cases) pristine viewing experiences.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Doh, waited too long to cancel for the 6-month "stay of execution". Guess I'll bounce once the NFL season ends.

 

[AllanP]

Doh, waited too long to cancel for the 6-month "stay of execution". Guess I'll bounce once the NFL season ends.

It’s ALWAYS sumthin! For the new year, we have PANY toll increases and congestion pricing to add to the overall pleasure of being alive and well in this area.

 

[Patrick Sun]

A nearby used media store is closing at year's end, been snapping up some used blu-rays, and actually bought a few hardcover books (due to low prices now), so maybe the universe is telling me to ease off the TV viewing, and re-visit other media consumption in the near future after all.

I'm still exploring SlingTV for my ESPN fix, but maybe I can just limp along for half year on, half year off when it comes to football (both college and pro).

 

[Dennis_H]

Makes me glad I didn't bother with a streaming package from my ISP or anyone else for that matter.

When I switched to fiber from cable they asked about a streaming package and I countered with "Do you have a package *without* news and sports channels? Basically, the entertainment channels without all the other junk?" to be told "Sorry, no. All packages have news and sports channels." Since we watch neither of those in my house I told them "No thanks. I don't subsidize what I don't watch. Call me when you break them out into separate tiers/packages."

Looks like Philo is what you are after... Has a lot of the entertainment channels with no sports so it is considerably cheaper.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I am sure many of you received this notice:

With YouTube TV, our goal is to offer you the content you love, delivered the way you want it. To make this happen, we enter into agreements with network partners to make their content available on YouTube TV. As such, we’ve been negotiating with Paramount to reach a fair agreement that allows us to keep their channels, including CBS, on YouTube TV without compromising the value of our service. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we’ve been unable to reach an agreement. ‌ On February 13, 2025, all Paramount channels will likely become unavailable on YouTube TV. If this happens, this will impact previous Library recordings from these channels, Paramount content in the Entertainment Plus package, and add-on services like Paramount+ with SHOWTIME and BET+. Should Paramount content become unavailable, we will continue to update our Help Center with the latest. ‌ We know how frustrating and disruptive it is to lose channels you enjoy on YouTube TV, and we’re committed to providing you with the best possible entertainment experience. That’s why we’ll continue advocating on your behalf to offer you more flexibility in how you watch your favorite sports and shows while preserving the value of our service. It’s our goal to restore Paramount content to YouTube TV, but if we do not come to an agreement and their content is unavailable for an extended period of time, we'll offer our YouTube TV subscribers an $8 credit. You can still watch Paramount shows and movies by signing up for their streaming service, Paramount+, starting at $7.99/month. For more information on how we’re addressing our Paramount+, BET+, and Entertainment Plus subscribers, please visit our Help Center. ‌ We hope YouTube TV continues to be your service of choice, but we understand some of our members may want to cancel their subscriptions. As always, family managers have the ability to pause or cancel anytime. You can find more information in our Help Center. ‌ Thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to work towards a fair agreement with Paramount. As always, we sincerely appreciate your YouTube TV membership. ‌ Sincerely, The YouTube TV team​

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Yes, I received that email, @Ronald Epstein. As of noon today, though, we still have our CBS station.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Yes, I received that email, @Ronald Epstein. As of noon today, though, we still have our CBS station.

I still have my CBS station as well, though this greatly concerns me as we regularly watch CBS programming. Hope it doesn't disappear as of later today.

 

[compson]

Would disappear tonight, apparently

YouTube TV, Paramount reach short-term extension

CBS, Comedy Central and MTV are among the Paramount Global channels available on YouTube TV.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Would disappear tonight, apparently

YouTube TV, Paramount reach short-term extension

CBS, Comedy Central and MTV are among the Paramount Global channels available on YouTube TV.

www.cbsnews.com

Let's hope, like most all other "blackouts" that this doesn't last long