In a move that will help it offer more flexible and less costly programming options, YouTube TV has announced that it will be launching YouTube TV Plans with more than 10 genre-specific packages.
The vMVPD didn’t provide many details on pricing or content other than the fact that one of the packages will be the YouTube TV Sports Plan.
“The Sports Plan will offer fans access to all the major broadcasters as well as sports networks like FS1, NBC Sports Network, all of the ESPN networks, as well as ESPN Unlimited. Subscribers can include add-ons like NFL Sunday Ticket and RedZone, and keep all fan-favorite features, including unlimited DVR, multiview, key plays, and fantasy view,” explained Christian Oestlien, vice president, head of subscriptions, YouTube in a blog post.
Several other pay TV providers have already launched genre-specific packages, including DirecTV, Sling TV and others.
Commenting on the move, analysts at LightShed Partners noted that “Since YouTube TV launched in early 2017, it has offered a single bundle of channels, which has risen in cost from $35 at launch to $83 today. Programmers, desperate to sustain their cable network businesses, with most suffering from a poor price/value relationship, have jammed in ever more channels and bloated the bundle. While YouTube TV has been able to drop expensive regional sports networks (RSNs), it has not been able to eliminate carriage of lightly watched channels as those networks are owned by large companies that carry networks YouTube TV needs to be competitive.”
Adding the more flexible, less costly genre packages could, they add, help it become the country’s largest pay TV operator in the next few years: “We suspect YouTube TV’s smaller bundles, compelling user interface, superior underlying technology and marketing skill will accelerate its growth, including the cannibalization of facilities-based MVPDs with outdated technology. YouTube TV is already over 10 million subscribers, with Charter the current #1 MVPD/vMVPD at 12.5 million subscribers. Barring a merger of DirecTV and Dish, which should ultimately happen, all signs point to YouTube TV becoming the largest MVPD/vMVPD in the next couple of years.
