YouTube TV is finally launching cheaper, genre-specific bundles starting at $55

After years of the price creep that has seen the base YouTube TV package climb to over $80 a month, Google is finally offering a way to pay less for the channels you actually watch. Starting this week, YouTube TV Plans are rolling out, introducing smaller, focused bundles that act as a more affordable alternative to the standard 100+ channel lineup.

This move marks a significant shift for the service. Instead of a one-size-fits-all $82.99 plan, users can now opt for genre-specific tiers that focus on sports, entertainment, or news.

The new entry-level tiers

The most aggressive new price point comes from the Entertainment Plan, which sits at $54.99 per month. This tier is designed for those who have zero interest in live sports and instead want the core broadcast networks alongside channels like FX, Comedy Central, Paramount, Food Network, and HGTV. To sweeten the deal, new users can get this for $44.99 per month for the first three months.

For sports fans, the Sports Plan launches at $64.99 per month (with a $54.99 promotional price for the first year). This includes roughly 35 channels, covering major broadcasters, the full ESPN network suite, FS1, and NBC Sports. Notably, it will also include the upcoming ESPN Unlimited service when it launches this fall.

Combining for Savings

Google is also introducing hybrid bundles that offer a middle ground between the narrow tiers and the massive base plan:

• News + Entertainment + Family ($69.99/month): This adds kids’ favorites like Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network to the entertainment mix, coming in $13 cheaper than the full plan.
• Sports + News ($71.99/month): This combines the sports package with national news outlets like CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC for an $11 monthly savings.

Standard Features Remain

The best part of this transition is that Google isn’t stripping away the features that made YouTube TV popular in the first place. Every new plan still includes:

• Unlimited DVR with no storage limits.
• Multiview for watching multiple streams at once.
• Six accounts per household so everyone can have their own profile.
• A la carte add-ons like NFL Sunday Ticket, HBO Max, and 4K Plus.

How to Choose

With over 10 plans eventually coming to the platform, things could get a little confusing. To help with the transition, YouTube TV is launching a recommendation tool that asks what you’re interested in watching and then suggests the plan that best fits your needs.

The rollout begins this week and will continue over the next several weeks. If you’ve been on the fence about keeping YouTube TV because of the price, one of these new focused tiers might be exactly what you need to stay in the ecosystem.