YouTube TV Lets Viewers Ditch Extras to Slash Bills

YouTube TV is launching modular, cheaper subscription tiers — sports, news, entertainment and family bundles — as alternatives to its $82.99 flagship plan. New packages roll out over the coming weeks, letting users pay only for what they watch.

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YouTube TV Lets Viewers Ditch Extras to Slash Bills

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You can now pay for the channels you actually watch. YouTube TV has quietly rolled out a menu of cheaper, targeted subscriptions that let viewers build packages around sports, news or entertainment instead of buying the full, one-size-fits-all bundle.

Starting this week and rolling out over the coming weeks, Google’s streaming arm is offering more than ten modular options that sit below its flagship $82.99 package — the one that still includes access to 100+ channels. The idea is simple: drop the channels you never open and shrink the monthly cost.

The flagship bundle isn’t going anywhere — but YouTube TV is giving subscribers real choices to cut the fat and lower their bills.

Want sports and nothing else? There’s a sports-only tier priced at $64.99 per month. Prefer sports plus news? That combo comes in at $71.99. For viewers focused on scripted shows and lifestyle channels, an entertainment tier is available for $54.99. Families can opt for a news + entertainment + family package that includes kids’ networks for $69.99 per month.

What’s in those packages? The sports option covers the major regional and national outlets: think FS1, NBC Sports, the full complement of ESPN linear channels and the network’s streaming services. That makes the sports tier roughly $18 cheaper than the full package while keeping the live-game staples intact.

The news-focused selections bring in names like CNBC, Fox News, CNN, MSNBC and Bloomberg, among others. Pairing that line-up with the sports tier produces the sports + news bundle, which undercuts the primary package by about $11 a month.

The entertainment plan strips the service down to channels that run series, reality and lifestyle programming — FX, Hallmark, Comedy Central, Bravo, Paramount Network, Food Network and HGTV are all included. It’s priced roughly $28 below the main bundle. Families with young children can add kid-focused channels — Disney, Nickelodeon, National Geographic, Cartoon Network and PBS Kids — for an incremental fee inside the family-style bundle.

For cord-cutters who want a tailored bill, this is a notable shift. Instead of a rigid, all-or-nothing subscription, YouTube TV is angling toward modularity: subscribe to sports, skip the bake-off shows. Or keep news and entertainment and let the game channels go. It’s a strategy designed to convert users who found the original price point too steep and to keep long-term subscribers from churning.

How this will affect channel licensing and long-term pricing is still a question. Networks negotiate carriage deals in the background, and smaller packages could change those economics over time — either forcing bundle reconfigurations or prompting new single-channel add-ons. For now, the rollout is gradual; expect the new tiers to appear in accounts in the coming weeks.

Curious which plan fits your viewing habits? Look at what you watch most and subtract the rest. Simple math, but a relief for many.

Ready to pick channels or stick with the full suite?

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