I was catching up on Facebook when an ad for Verizon’s YouTube TV discount caught my eye.
Why’s that?
The Facebook ad reflects a higher regular base plan price for YouTube TV than what is listed directly on the service’s own website.
UPDATE: On Saturday, YouTube TV told me it’s aware of the incorrect ad pricing. Full statement below.
According to a screenshot of the ad that I took with my phone, the current subscription price of YouTube TV is $82.99 per month. With the Verizon Home Internet discount, the ad says the price is $72.99 per month for 12 months. The fine print refers to the standard subscription price, not a plan with any add-ons.
This is significant because YouTube TV’s base plan price has been $72.99 per month since March 2023.
When I went to YouTube TV’s website to see if there was a change, the same $72.99 per month regular price was still displayed. There is a limited-time offer of $59.99 per month for three months, which ends December 11, 2024. It is common for YouTube TV to offer such discounts to new customers. Notably, the free trial is 21 days — longer than usual.
I went back to Facebook and found the Verizon ad for the YouTube TV discount again. After I clicked on the ad, it took me to Verizon’s website.
When I scrolled down Verizon’s page, I saw the YouTube TV offer. However, this time it did not show the $82.99 per month price. It stated YouTube TV’s current base plan price of $72.99 per month, with the Verizon discount knocking it down to $62.99 per month for a year.
Understandably, I have questions:
- Why is there a higher price for YouTube TV on Verizon’s Facebook ad?
- Does Verizon know something about an upcoming YouTube TV price increase that we don’t know yet?
- Did someone just make a mistake and this is all a misunderstanding?
I emailed both Verizon and Google on Friday.
On Saturday, the Team YouTube account on X replied to me:
“We’re aware that Verizon has published an advertisement with the incorrect price for the YouTubeTV Base Plan. We’re working with Verizon to have this issue resolved.”
When I opened up Facebook on December 9 (a few days after publishing this article), I was once again served the Verizon/YouTube TV ad. It was updated to reflect the correct pricing.
A price increase for YouTube TV would not come as a surprise. Sling TV is raising prices in late December, while there have already been price hikes for Hulu + Live TV, DIRECTV STREAM and Fubo in 2024.
If YouTube TV raises its base plan price by $10 a month, it would match the starting price of Hulu + Live TV.
YouTube TV is the most popular live TV streaming service. The no-contract plan has a well-rounded channel lineup, unlimited cloud DVR storage and a lot of features for sports fans — including multiview. It is also the home of NFL Sunday Ticket.
However, YouTube TV’s price has already more than doubled since it launched at $35 per month back in 2017.
YouTube TV Price Tracker
| Date | Price |
| April 2017 | $35/month |
| March 2018 | $40/month |
| April 2019 | $50/month |
| June 2020 | $65/month |
| March 2023 (Current price) | $73/month |
When pay-TV services (cable, satellite and live TV streaming services) raise the cost of their plans, they typically cite rising programming costs. In some cases, they add more channels/content and features at the same time they announce a pricing change.
These services cater to people who watch sports networks, cable news and broadcast TV channels.
Due to the rising costs, many of the cord-cutters who follow my YouTube channel have decided to drop live TV altogether and rely on more affordable on-demand services.
I’m already planning on suspending service for 6 months after football is over. Too expensive for just Nascar