YouTube TV hikes prices for new subscribers, adds missing Turner channels like CNN & Cartoon Network

Google's YouTube TV on Wednesday announced the long-awaited addition of Turner networks to its lineup, though new subscribers will soon have to pay a higher monthly fee.

The added channels include the likes of CNN, TBS, TNT, truTV, Turner Classic Movies, and Cartoon Network/Adult Swim. Until now YouTube TV has concentrated on the four major U.S. broadcast networks — ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox — as well as associated channels.

Subscribers will also soon be able to watch NBA TV and the MLB Network as part of the base package, and NBA League Pass and MLB.TV for an extra fee.

The catch is that starting on March 13, new subscriptions will cost $40 per month. People signed up before then will still be able to pay $35, even with the higher number of bundled channels.

The service now has clients on a number of platforms, including the iPhone and iPad, and more recently the Apple TV. Other supported options include Android, Chromecast, Roku, the Xbox One, and some non-Android TVs.

Still absent from YouTube TV are Viacom channels like Comedy Central.

11 Comments

auxio 2760 comments · 19 Years

About 6 years ago

With that single monthly price/no options to choose your own bundle, how is this any different from what the cable providers are doing today?

williamlondon 1423 comments · 14 Years

So let me get this straight. A company that tracks your privacy so it can in turn sell it onto advertisers who want to you convince you to spend money on products and services you neither need nor want (improved by the information provided by this company) is going to charge you $40/month for the luxury of being able to view psychologically manipulating advertisement-laden and sponsored content? All I can say is what good little obedient and compliant consumers they're creating - there's obviously no limit to what these organisations can get people to think and do, the worst aspect of it being that people think they're doing it all willingly, by their own choice.

aieronimo 10 comments · 15 Years

Big difference between a service like this and traditional cable is no need to rent a channel box. Verizon charges $10/month per channel box, with no DVR functionality included. So say you have two televisions: that's $20 / month just to change channels, before you pay for the channel content.

Also, I don't know how / if Google piles on fees to that $40/month price. But if they don't pile on the fees, then that is another favorable differentiator.

fallenjt 4056 comments · 13 Years

I tried it free for a week and cancelled it. The interface just sucked. DTV Now or Sling TV are still better. I'm not talking about the streaming quality, but the interface.

aieronimo said:

Big difference between a service like this and traditional cable is no need to rent a channel box. Verizon charges $10/month per channel box, with no DVR functionality included. So say you have two televisions: that's $20 / month just to change channels, before you pay for the channel content.

Also, I don't know how / if Google piles on fees to that $40/month price. But if they don't pile on the fees, then that is another favorable differentiator.

Yup...it's like Xfinity internet and TV bundle. They charge you $10/mo for equipment regardless you use the equipment or not even if you only stream the contents through the app.