- YouTube TV is rolling out more than 10 new genre-specific plans, including tiers designated for sports and entertainment fans.
- The new plans will roll out this week and aim to give users more control over what they want to stream.
- However, ESPN Unlimited won’t be available until fall 2026, which has upset sports fans.
The days of YouTube TV’s singular subscription plan are over and the company is finally rolling out new genre-specific packages starting this week after announcing the update a few weeks ago.
Since its inception in 2017, YouTube TV has offered its members only one “all or nothing” subscription plan, which includes more than 100 networks across a multitude of channels and genres, for a pricey $82.99 per month. The new 10+ content plans are designed to give customers “more control over their subscriptions,” the platform said in its announcement.
When the new tiers roll out, you’ll be able to select specific genre packages based on the content you want to stream, saving you a little money each month instead of paying for channels you’ll never get to watch – and there are plenty to choose from.
The new Sports Plan ($64.99 per month) is designed for the biggest sports fans, bringing together the most popular sports broadcasters in one package that includes FS1, NBC Sports Network and more. There’s also the new Sports + News Plan ($71.99 per month), which gives you access to all the usual sports channels, as well as news networks like CNBC, Fox News, MSNBC and CNN.
Don’t worry, YouTube hasn’t forgotten film and television fans. Now you’ll have the option to stream nothing but the best movies and shows through the Entertainment Plan ($54.99 per month), the new home of FX, Hallmark, Comedy Central, Bravo, Paramount, Food Network and similar channels. Like the Sports + News package, the News + Entertainment + Family Plan ($69.99 per month) combines entertainment with news, plus offers viewing for the whole family.
I don’t understand how it’s taken YouTube so long to expand its subscription offerings, but hey, at least it’s happening and more flexibility for subscribers will be appreciated. But with launches like this, there is always a setback and sports fans are quite disappointed with the absence of ESPN Unlimited.
“Dealbreaker without unlimited access to ESPN”
YouTube TV won’t receive ESPN Unlimited until fall 2026 from r/youtubetv
YouTube TV is one of the best streaming services for watching sports, and thanks to product features like multi-view, sports fans can watch multiple games on different channels at once. As for the new Sports Plan, its range of stations has not changed, except for ESPN Unlimited, which will not be available for at least six months.
Why is YouTube stopping the channel sports fans love most? Well, the company has not explained why it is not yet available in the Sports Plan. It hasn’t received the best reaction, let’s say, and members have come up with their own theories, one of which involves Disney.
Following the dramatic dispute between YouTube and Disney in October last year, failed carriage deals resulted in 20 Disney-owned networks being removed from YouTube TV, but they were then reinstated after a new deal was reached. Some YouTube TV subscribers are convinced that the platform would never delay network integration that much, blaming Disney, but some users believe otherwise.
Other Reddit users were quick to compare YouTube’s selection of Disney subsidiaries to DIRECTV, another channel distribution service that offers access to Disney-owned networks.
One user in particular noted that following DIRECTV and Disney’s renewed deal in September 2024, it took 11 months before users regained access to Disney channels, hinting that the delay is due to technical difficulties and not Disney extending it, but it is still unknown.
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