YouTube TV is promising subscribers “more choice and flexibility” in their video plans next year.
Will it mean lower prices? That remains to be seen.
But it appears YouTube is following the approach of other pay-TV providers in offering smaller, genre specific packages — including one for sports — that come with a smaller bill.
The Google-owned platform said Wednesday in a blog post that it will offer 10 packages starting next year.
“Our goal is to let you tailor your subscription with more options. Whether you stick with our main YouTube TV plan with 100+ channels, focus on sports, combine sports and news, or select a plan centered on family and entertainment content, subscribers will be able to easily choose the plan that works best for them,” the company said.
No details were given on pricing.
The company said it will have a sports plan that offers the major broadcast networks, sports cable channels FS1, NBC Sports Network and ESPN. The plan would compete with the combination of the Fox One and ESPN streaming services, which are being offered together for $39.99 a month.
Over the past year, El Segundo-based DirecTV rolled out smaller packages of channels aimed at consumers who no longer want a big monthly bill for networks they don’t watch. The satellite TV service now offers smaller genre packages of channels and streaming apps that cater to a particular interest available at a lower price — designed for news junkies, sports fans, kids and Spanish-language speakers.
YouTube TV is likely looking at that model as it is clearly feeling the squeeze from rising programming costs. The platform has had several contentious negotiations with Comcast, TelevisaUnivision, Fox Corporation and the Walt Disney Co.
Disney’s channels, including ESPN, were off of YouTube TV for nearly 15 days last month. YouTube TV customers lost access to Univision’s Spanish language channels for two months, which drew the attention of legislators on both sides of the political spectrum.
YouTube TV was introduced in 2017 as an alternative to the rising prices of cable and satellite services. The initial price was $35 a month. It’s now $82.99.
But the service is facing the same pressure as traditional pay-TV distributors. Program providers are looking for higher fees as the overall number of customers declines due to cord-cutting.
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