YouTube TV Gets Turner Channels And More Sports But Raises Price By $5

Good news and bad news, cord-cutters: YouTube TV is filling in several of the most noticeable gaps in its channel lineup, but such a shift will also come with a significant price hike. The skinny bundle will add channels owned by Turner as well as sports-specific hubs like NBA TV and MLB Network. In addition, its price will rise to $40 per month, up from $35.

Turner, which owns channels like TNT, TBS, Cartoon Network, CNN, TruTV, and Turner Classic Movies, was previously one of YouTube TV’s most notable holdouts. The media company’s CEO, John Martin, said that the omission of Turner channels from the skinny bundle represented a “big mistake” on YouTube’s part. Now, that error has been rectified. The addition of the MLB Network is also particularly significant, given YouTube’s decision to advertise its skinny bundle during the World Series.

YouTube TV’s latest update also brings it to 18 new markets: Lexington, Dayton, Honolulu, El Paso, Burlington, Plattsburgh, Richmond, Petersburg, Mobile, Syracuse, Champaign, Springfield, Columbia, Charleston, Harlingen, Wichita, Wilkes-Barre, and Scranton.

These advances come at a price. Beginning on March 13, new customers will have to pay $40 per month for YouTube TV, so make sure to start your subscription before then if you want to take advantage of the lower rate. Existing customers will still be able to play $35 even after the price hike goes into effect.

The absence of the Turner package was one of YouTube TV’s big drawbacks compared to Hulu’s live TV service, which has always included those channels. One of YouTube TV’s advantages over Hulu, on the other hand, was that it was $5 cheaper, but it won’t be anymore.

The news of these updates was first reported by BuzzFeed, which broke an embargo with its report. The relevant information was then removed from the article, but not before it was picked up by outlets like 9 to 5 Google. A YouTube blog post the next day confirmed the initial report.