YouTube TV has finally done what subscribers have been asking for years. The brand has broken up its all-or-nothing subscription model and launched a full menu of cheaper, genre-specific plans.
The new options began rolling out in February 2026 and are now live, giving subscribers, and potential new customers, the ability to pay only for the channels they actually watch.
Previously, YouTube TV offered a single Base Plan at $82.99 a month covering 100-plus channels across every genre.
That all-inclusive approach worked for some households, but for anyone who primarily watches sports, or only cares about entertainment and lifestyle content, it meant paying for dozens of channels they never touched.
The new structure changes that entirely. There are now 12 plans to choose from, all priced below the existing Base Plan, which remains available for those who want everything.
“TV should be easy, and with YouTube TV Plans launching this week, we’re giving customers more control over their subscriptions,” Josh Yang, director of product management at YouTube, wrote in the company’s announcement.
Here is every plan, what it includes, and what it costs.
The Four Flagship Plans
Sports Plan — $64.99/month ($54.99 for new users)
This is the plan for anyone whose primary reason for having live TV is sports. At $18 less than the Base Plan, it includes all the major broadcast networks, ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC, plus FS1, NBC Sports Network, and the full ESPN suite including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN News, and the SEC Network.
It also includes access to ESPN Unlimited, which launches this fall in time for the 2026 NFL season.
The ESPN Unlimited inclusion is significant. Following a carriage dispute between Disney and Google in late 2025, the two companies reached a deal that baked ESPN Unlimited into any YouTube TV plan that already includes the standard ESPN networks at no extra cost.
Super Bowl LXI will air on ESPN, making this tier particularly relevant heading into the 2026-27 football season.
Sports + News Plan — $71.99/month ($56.99 for new users)
Everything in the Sports Plan plus a full slate of national news channels: CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, CNBC, Bloomberg, C-SPAN, and Fox Business.
At $11 less than the Base Plan, this is the option for households that want live sports and want to keep up with the news cycle without paying for entertainment and lifestyle channels they do not need.
Entertainment Plan — $54.99/month ($44.99 for new users)
The most affordable standalone plan, and the biggest discount off the Base Plan at $28 less per month.
This tier is built for viewers who primarily watch scripted dramas, reality television, movies, and lifestyle programming.
It includes all major broadcasters plus FX, Comedy Central, Bravo, Paramount Network, Food Network, HGTV, Hallmark Channel, and more.
It does not include sports-specific networks or news channels beyond the major broadcast networks.
News + Entertainment + Family Plan — $69.99/month ($59.99 for new users)
The broadest of the four flagship plans, at $13 less than the Base Plan. It combines entertainment and news channels with family programming: Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, National Geographic, Cartoon Network, PBS Kids, and more.
This is the natural choice for households with young children who also want general entertainment and news without paying the full Base Plan price.
The Eight Combination Plans
In addition to the four flagship plans above, YouTube TV has rolled out eight further combination bundles available during the sign-up process:
- Sports + Entertainment: $72/month
- News + Entertainment: $63/month
- News + Family: $63/month
- Sports + Family: $72/month
- Entertainment + Family: $63/month
- Sports + News + Family: $78/month
- Sports + Entertainment + Family: $78/month
- Sports + News + Entertainment: $78/month
These combination plans allow subscribers to build exactly the mix they need without committing to the full Base Plan.
A household that wants sports and family programming but does not need entertainment channels, for instance, can get that at $72 a month instead of $82.99.
What Every Plan Includes — Features That Do Not Change
Regardless of which plan a subscriber chooses, the following features are included across all tiers: unlimited cloud DVR storage, up to six individual user profiles per account, three simultaneous streams, multiview for watching multiple channels at once, and Key Plays, YouTube TV’s feature for highlighting the most important moments in live sports.
Add-ons can also be stacked onto any plan. NFL Sunday Ticket, NFL RedZone via Sports Plus, HBO Max, and 4K Plus can all be purchased as add-ons regardless of the base plan chosen.
One Important Warning For Existing Subscribers Switching Down
If you are a current Base Plan subscriber considering switching to a cheaper tier, there is a DVR catch worth knowing before you make the move.
Switching to a plan that removes certain channels means your existing DVR recordings from those channels become inaccessible.
You have a 21-day window after switching to revert to your previous plan and regain access to those recordings, but after that window closes, they are gone.
If you have recordings on sports networks and switch to the Entertainment Plan, for example, those recordings will be unavailable until and unless you switch back.
The New User Discount
New subscribers to the Sports + News, Entertainment, and News + Entertainment + Family plans receive introductory pricing for the first three months before the price rises to the standard rate.
For the Entertainment Plan that means starting at $44.99 a month, the lowest entry price YouTube TV has ever offered for live TV access with major broadcast networks included.
Why Is This Change Happening Now?
YouTube TV launched in 2017 at $35 a month. By 2020 the price had risen to $64.99. By 2023 it was $72.99. The current Base Plan sits at $82.99 — a 137% increase from launch.
That pricing trajectory, common across all live TV streaming services, drove significant subscriber dissatisfaction.
Recent data cited by CableTV.com showed YouTube TV had been overtaken by DIRECTV in overall customer satisfaction scores as users reacted to rising costs.
The new plans arrive at a moment of unusual economic sensitivity.
TechCrunch noted the rollout coincides with consumer confidence sitting at its lowest point in more than 11 years, driven by labor market anxiety and broader price increases across goods and services.
Google’s decision to let subscribers pay for less is a direct response to that environment.
DIRECTV launched its own genre-specific packs in February 2025, a year ahead of YouTube TV.
DIRECTV’s MySports pack costs $69.99 a month and includes 20-plus sports channels along with ESPN Unlimited and access to Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max as part of the bundle.
Its MyEntertainment pack comes in at $34.99 a month and includes 60-plus entertainment channels plus HBO Max, Disney+, and Hulu.
The inclusion of streaming services in DIRECTV’s genre packs gives it a pricing edge on the entertainment side, $34.99 versus YouTube TV’s $54.99 for entertainment-only access, though YouTube TV’s product features, DVR capabilities, and interface remain widely regarded as superior.
Youtube TV’s Base Plan Still Exists
For subscribers who want everything, the original YouTube TV Base Plan remains available at $82.99 a month with access to 100-plus channels across all genres.
Nothing about the Base Plan has changed. The new genre plans are additions to the lineup, not replacements.
YouTube TV’s new plans are available now at tv.youtube.com.
