Despite multiple hurdles, YouTube TV has emerged as America’s largest live streaming service, thanks to its versatile plan offerings. The Google-owned company has also set out to make its live TV streaming platform perform better for more users with the recent inclusion of 5.1 audio support on Apple TV and Fire TV. Well, YouTube TV is getting another big update this week, as the service is now allowing users to subscribe to individual channels and services, bypassing the need to sign onto the entire channel package.
For some context, customers would usually have to spend $65 per month for the YouTube TV Base Plan. This package includes over 85 channels. But with this new individual channel option, they won’t need to spend more than $60 per month for an agglomeration of over-the-top services.
Available channels include HBO Max, NBA League Pass, MLB.TV, SHOWTIME, STARZ, Hallmark Movies Now, Cinemax, EPIX, Pantaya, FOX Nation, ScreenPix, Curiosity Stream, Shudder, Sundance Now, Acorn TV, IFC Films Unlimited, ALLBLK, Docurama, CONtv, Dove, Law & Crime, UP Faith & Family, Fandor, Screambox, Comedy Dynamics, Outside TV Features, VSiN, MyOutdoorTV, MovieSphere, The Great Courses, ATRESplayer, Tastemade+, ViX+, Magnolia Selects, and Topic. Most if not all of these channels were available as add-ons to the Base Plan.
Customers will pay rates as billed by their originating distributors: HBO Max costs the typical $15 per month whereas MLB.TV is priced at $30. Channels like Law & Crime and Outside TV Features are the cheapest of the lot at only $1.99 per month. New users are also eligible for a 7-day free trial of each channel.
It’s worth noting that individual channel subscribers will continue to get unlimited DVR plus the ability to have up to three simultaneous streams and up to six user profiles.
YouTube TV users will have the flexibility to cancel a channel/network from their account at any time by navigating to the settings. To make sure you’re only paying for the new add-on channels and not the Base Plan, head over to Settings > Membership > Manage and cancel the Base Plan. You can then add the individual channels you want by clicking Update memberships on the page.
TechCrunch notes from previous reporting that YouTube TV has long had intentions to take cues from platforms like Roku, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and others by enabling users to pay for individual channels, so this plan appears to have been a long time in the making.
It’s still a bit of a bummer that channel offerings on the base packages of all these services haven’t been broken out, though. Cable cutting might not have been all it’s cut out to be after all.
