YouTube TV may be getting cheaper in 2026, however there is a catch

Within the US, there are a selection of live TV streaming options — equivalent to DirecTV, Sling TV, Fubo, and Hulu+ Stay TV — however YouTube TV stays one of many largest and hottest. The primary downside for cord-cutters, nevertheless, is value. The bottom plan begins at $83 per thirty days, a steep leap from the $35 month-to-month price it launched with in 2017. To make the service extra reasonably priced and appeal to extra customers, Google could lastly introduce modifications that customers have been ready years for.

YouTube TV is reportedly making ready to launch new, lower-cost TV packages early subsequent 12 months, based on Cord Cutter News. These lower-cost packages would goal particular audiences, with one of many foremost choices mentioned to be a sports-focused bundle that includes channels like ESPN, Fox Sports activities, and NBC Sports activities.

Proper now, YouTube TV provides solely a single all-in-one plan with greater than 100 dwell channels. The thought behind these new, lower-cost packages, or “skinny TV bundles” as they’re usually referred to as, is to take choose channels from the total lineup and supply them in smaller, cheaper packages to assist lower down on the price of dwell TV, and supply folks simply the channels they really wish to watch.

It is vital to notice that YouTube TV hasn’t made any official announcement about this, and Twine Cutter Information does not expose its supply. So whereas it is thrilling that YouTube TV may lastly offer some cheaper TV packages quickly, it is value taking this with a grain of salt proper now.

YouTube TV may very well be taking a web page from DirecTV’s playbook

DirecTV provides Style Packs, which can be just like what YouTube TV would possibly ultimately supply

Credit score: Erik Mclean / Unsplash / Pocket-lint

Apart from a doubtlessly extra reasonably priced sports activities bundle coming to YouTube TV subsequent 12 months, Twine Cutter Information additionally studies that YouTube would possibly supply different cheap choices, equivalent to a children bundle with channels like Nickelodeon and Disney Channel, in addition to an “entertainment-focused” bundle that features channels with drama collection and flicks.

To this point, all these cheaper, smaller packages that YouTube TV may supply subsequent 12 months remind me of DirecTV’s Genre Packs. Whereas DirecTV provides a number of large all-in-one packages with plenty of channels, its Style Packs, which it launched earlier this 12 months, are less expensive and supply only a collection of channels geared toward particular audiences.

For instance, DirecTV’s MyEntertainment pack contains over 60 information and leisure channels, equivalent to A&E, AMC, CNN, HGTV, and FX, for $35 per thirty days. DirecTV additionally provides a MySports Style Pack, which incorporates over 20 sports-focused channels, together with ESPN, NBC, TNT, CBS Sports activities Community, and native ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC stations the place accessible, priced at $60 per thirty days.

It appears like YouTube TV could also be taking a web page straight from DirecTV’s playbook if it launches lower-cost, genre-based packages subsequent 12 months — and truthfully, I am all for it. I do know loads of individuals who have zero curiosity in sports activities and solely need leisure channels, simply as I do know others who solely activate dwell TV for sports activities and get all the things else from streaming companies like Netflix, and these new lower-cost TV packages would work nice for them.

In my opinion, extra reasonably priced, focused bundles are a wiser route for dwell TV — and a a lot better various to the bloated, all-in-one packages that some streamers supply, the place you find yourself paying for content material you will by no means watch.

YouTube TV hasn’t formally introduced these potential bundles, and Twine Cutter Information did not identify its supply, so it is unclear whether or not these cheaper YouTube TV packages would possibly really come subsequent 12 months. In different information, YouTube TV just lately signed a brand new distribution deal with Disney, so at the least all of the Disney-owned channels will stay on the service for the foreseeable future, together with ESPN.