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

Within the US, there are a variety of live TV streaming options — resembling DirecTV, Sling TV, Fubo, and Hulu+ Dwell TV — however YouTube TV stays one of many greatest and hottest. The principle disadvantage for cord-cutters, nonetheless, 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 entice extra customers, Google could lastly introduce adjustments that customers have been ready years for.

YouTube TV is reportedly making ready to launch new, lower-cost TV packages early subsequent yr, in line with 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 concept behind these new, lower-cost packages, or “skinny TV bundles” as they’re typically referred to as, is to take choose channels from the total lineup and supply them in smaller, cheaper packages to assist minimize down on the price of dwell TV, and supply folks simply the channels they really wish to watch.

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

YouTube TV could possibly be taking a web page from DirecTV’s playbook

DirecTV provides Style Packs, which can be much like what YouTube TV would possibly finally supply

Credit score: Erik Mclean / Unsplash / Pocket-lint

Apart from a probably extra reasonably priced sports activities bundle coming to YouTube TV subsequent yr, Twine Cutter Information additionally studies that YouTube would possibly supply different cheap choices, resembling 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 might supply subsequent yr remind me of DirecTV’s Genre Packs. Whereas DirecTV provides a number of massive all-in-one packages with plenty of channels, its Style Packs, which it launched earlier this yr, are less expensive and supply only a choice of channels aimed toward particular audiences.

For instance, DirecTV’s MyEntertainment pack consists of over 60 information and leisure channels, resembling 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 yr — and actually, 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 every little thing 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 different to the bloated, all-in-one packages that some streamers supply, the place you find yourself paying for content material you may by no means watch.

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