YouTube TV Raises Base Subscription Price By 12% -- Barrons.com

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By Eric J. Savitz

The virtual cable service YouTube TV has said Thursday it will boost its base subscription price by 12% to $72.99 a month, from $64.99.

Part of the Google arm of Alphabet (ticker: GOOGL), YouTube TV said that new users will see the increased pricing effective immediately. Existing members will see the higher price starting April 18.

YouTube TV said it is reducing the price of its "4K Plus" add-on service, which includes higher quality video on some content and unlimited concurrent streams at home, to $9.99 a month from $19.99 previously.

YouTube said the higher base price is a reflection of higher costs.

Pricing varies for other similar services, all with a slightly different set of channels.

Hulu with Live TV is $69.99 a month if you bundle ad-supported versions of Hulu and Disney+, or $82.99 for the ad-free versions of those services. Sling is $60 a month for the combined Sling Orange (which has more sports content) and Sling Blue (which has more news and entertainment content.) Fubo TV charges $74.99 for a "Pro" plan, $84.99 for an "Elite" plan, which adds more channels, and $94.99 for its "Premier Plan," which includes Showtime in the bundle.

YouTube TV last raised prices for the service in June 2020, when it lifted the base price by $15 to $64.99.

Write to Eric J. Savitz at eric.savitz@barrons.com