YouTube TV Rolls Out Lower‑Cost Plans And A Standalone Sports Tier

There was a time when cutting the cord could save you big money versus paying for a satellite or traditional cable TV package. Those days are gone, perhaps for good, though one of the best streaming services is rolling out more affordable plans. That would be YouTube TV, and streaming subscribers now have several new tiers to choose from, starting at $54.99 per month (or $44.99 for new users).

"TV should be easy, and with YouTube TV Plans launching this week, we’re giving customers more control over their subscriptions. Over the next several weeks we are rolling out 10+ plans across Sports, News, Entertainment and Family content, priced lower than the main YouTube TV Plan," Google states in a blog post.

YouTube TV's main (base) package remains priced at $82.99 per month, which you can get for $59.99 per month for the first 60 days if you're a new subscriber. That's in addition to a 10-day free trial.

Up until now, the base package with access to over 100 networks was also the only package, and of course there are various add-ons, such as a 4K Plus for an additional $9.99 per month. In addition to unlocking 4K viewing on select content, the 4K Plus add-on also enables access to unlimited simultaneous streams and the ability to view recordings offline.offline viewing of recordings.

In the coming weeks, there will be more plans to choose from, the cheapest of which is a new Entertainment plan for $54.99 per month, or $44.99 for the first three months if you're new to YouTube TV (versus two months for the main/base package). This one takes aim at "cinephile and comedy buffs" with channels such as Comedy Central, Bravo, Paramount, Food Network, HGTV, and several others.

The next cheapest option is a new Sports plan priced at $64.99 per month ($54.99/month for three months for new subscribers). Google says it includes "all the major broadcasters as well as sports networks like FS1, NBC Sports Network, all of the ESPN networks, and ESPN Unlimited (coming this fall).

This one has the potential to be a popular option. From my own vantage point, having access to ESPN and other sports channels is the main reason why I subscribe to YouTube TV.

Next up the pricing totem pole is a News + Entertainment plan for $69.99 per month ($59.99/month for three months for new subscribers), which includes channels such as Disney Channel, Nickelodean, National Geographic, Cartoon Network, PBS Kids, and more.

Finally, there's a new Sports + News plan priced at $71.99 per month ($56.99/month for three months for new subscribers) that bundles everything in the Sports tier with national news channels, such as CNBC, Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, CSPAN, Bloomberg, and Fox Business.

While these are all cheaper than YouTube TV's base package, they all include features such as unlimited DVR and the ability to add up to 6 members per account. The same selection of adds-ons is also available with these new plans. So for example, you could select the Sports plan and add HBO Max for an additional fee, if you wanted to.