Live TV streaming prices are on the rise, but there’s still a lot of hope for cord cutters. See how much you’ll need to pay for your preferred live television package in 2019 and 2020.
Hulu is one of the most popular streaming services on the market. Recently, they announced that their prices will increase in January 2021. This article will track the price changes over time.
All live TV streaming fee hikes are tracked by the Streaming Clarity price rise tracker. Consumers may use the tracker to monitor the history and track record of price increases for the most popular live TV providers, such as AT&T TV, fuboTV, Live TV on Hulu, Sling TV, and YouTube TV is a service that allows you to watch.
When compared to conventional cable and satellite, live TV streaming began as a means to save money. Even while this is still true, things have changed. The live TV streaming scene has shifted considerably in recent years, due to the introduction of a slew of new services and subscriptions.
While it’s understandable to assume that increasing competition would lead to even cheaper pricing, this couldn’t be farther from the reality. Every major live TV streaming provider has raised the cost of its subscription plans. Some companies have not only raised prices but also reduced the number of channels available, resulting in services that are even less valuable than before.
The costs for all of the main live TV streaming providers are tracked in this list. The purpose is to inform customers not just about current costs, but also about price increases in the past. While a customer may be influenced by a service that is a few dollars less expensive, this may be a transient scenario. If the lower-priced service has a history of cost increases, the subscriber may be better off starting with the higher-priced option. Nowadays, understanding a subscription service’s pricing history is just as crucial as knowing the current price.
Disclaimer: For each core service, the information and costs mentioned are for the entry-level plans. Additional charges, fees, taxes, or add-ons are not included in the pricing. The goal of this guide is to simply point you in the direction of the best advertised pricing for live TV streaming.
This page is updated every time one of the services mentioned below changes its cost.
Summary of Price Increases
This guide examines each price rise for all of the main live TV streaming providers available in the United States. If you’re merely interested in the total cost of a subscription, the table below summarizes the most recent pricing changes. All costs are rounded to the closest $1 and refer to the lowest plans presently offered from each live TV streaming provider.
While the table above gives a decent overview of the numerous price hikes, the graph below shows the pattern in price increases over time.
Updated January in the year 2021: A look at the price rise trend
As seen in the graph, the cost of live TV streaming remained stable till 2018. While some price hikes happened in 2018, the majority of them came in 2019 and 2020. The classifications are also noteworthy. The graph shows that when one service raises its price, others tend to follow suit, whether intentionally or not.
AT&T TV
Over the previous several years, AT&T TV’s no-contract service has gone through many rebrandings, resulting in multiple price increases while operating under the names DirectTV Now and AT&T TV NOW. In August 2019, the service was renamed AT&T TV NOW, and in January in the year 2021, it amalgamated with AT&T TV.
AT&T offered one of its top plans (Go Big) for $35 a month at launch, the same price as the less expensive Live a little plan. The Go Big plan, on the other hand, was only available for an initial price of $60 per month. The price of Go Big was raised from $35 to $60 in January 2017.
Those who signed up before the price change were guaranteed a lower rate, with AT&T promising that their pricing would stay $25 lower than the current non-promotional price. Many early users allege AT&T assured them they would be locked in at $35 per month for life, not a $25 reduction, therefore this grandfathered agreement has sparked considerable dispute since then.
Price rises have been a typical occurrence for AT&T’s TV customers since then, regardless of whether they were grandfathered or not.
History of AT&T TV pricing increases:
The graph below shows the history of AT&T TV pricing increases.
In November 2016, DirecTV NOW made its debut in the United States. The cheapest available aircraft at the time was Live a Little, which cost $35 per month.
AT&T increased the price of Live by $5 per month in July 2018. As a consequence, the most basic live TV streaming subscription now costs $40 per month.
In March of this year,: There was yet another price hike, this time by $10 per month. As a consequence, the monthly cost of Live a Little has risen to $50.
August 2019: The AT&T TV Now redesign went into effect, with the entry-level package being renamed Plus. The Plus package included fewer channels than the Live plan, thus it was more than just a name change.
In November of this year,: AT&T TV Now increased its costs once again, this time by $15. This was the service’s second price increase in the same year.
April in the next year: AT&T reduced the price of its entry-level Plus plan from $65 to $55 per month in an unprecedented move for the corporation. However, as a consequence of the cut, HBO was dropped before of the introduction of HBO Max.
AT&T TV debuts in January 2021. Now combined with AT&T TV, resulting in a price rise, with the most affordable AT&T no-contract package costing $69.99 per month.
Summary of AT&T TV pricing hikes:
| Date | P/m should be increased. | Price p/m |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 2016 | Launch of the Service | $35 |
| July 2018 | $5 | $40 |
| In March of this year, | $10 | $50 |
| November 2019 | $15 | $65 |
| April 2020 | -$10 | $55 |
| January 2021 | $15 | $69.99 |
fuboTV
Fubo’s streaming service was officially introduced in 2015. It was a specialized sports streaming service at the time, with a monthly fee of just $7.
It wasn’t until 2017 that fubo announced it was revamping the service to become the complete live TV provider it is now. We’re following the pricing history from that point since that’s when the current fuboTV service was founded.
History of pricing increases for fuboTV:
graph of fuboTV pricing increases over time
FuboTV begins in April of this year with a main package starting at $34.99 per month. This was, however, an inaugural promotion that was always marked as a limited-time offer. The package was called fubo Premier, and the business insisted that it would cost $49.99 per month in the end. However, owing to a rebranding, the adjustment was never implemented.
May 2018: The fubo Premier plan is renamed the fubo plan and costs $44.99 per month. Despite the fact that there was no formal price increase, it seemed like one since the prior introductory price was $10 less. Despite the increased price, the new plan stayed inside the $49.99 per month cap that fuboTV had promised. A new fubu Extra bundle was launched with the fubo plan. The cost of fubo Extra was $49.99 a month, but it came with a larger channel list.
FuboTV’s plans are once again modified in March 2019. There was just one plan offered this time, fubo Standard. The first formal price rise occurred with the move, with the fuboTV basic plan increasing by $10 per month to $54.99. Instead of the Extra plan, new customers may upgrade to a Family or “Ultra” version of the Standard plan, which cost $59.99 and $79.99, respectively. Despite the fact that fuboTV no longer provided the Extra package, current members were charged a $10 monthly fee, bringing the total to $59.99.
July 2020: fuboTV announces its newest pricing hikes, bringing the Standard plan to $59.99 per month and the Family plan to $64.99 per month. In addition, unless users asked differently, the business indicated that it will migrate all current Standard subscribers to the Family plan. This resulted in a monthly cost increase of $10.
In In December of 2020,, fuboTV did not raise its prices, but it did eliminate the ability to join up for the Standard plan. As a consequence, the most affordable fuboTV subscription costs $65 per month.
Summary of the fuboTV pricing increase:
| Date | P/m should be increased. | Price p/m |
|---|---|---|
| April 2017 | Launch of the Service | $34.99 |
| May 2018 | Rebranding is in the works. | $44.99 |
| March 2019 | $10 | $54.99 |
| July 2020 | $5 | $59.99 |
| In December of 2020, | $5 | $64.99 |
Hulu Live TV
In comparison to some of the other services on our list, Hulu Live TV is a relatively young service. While some may believe that this means there is less pricing history to consider, Hulu Live TV has seen its share of price hikes.
It’s worth noting that Hulu doesn’t always increase its costs. When Hulu Live TV originally raised its prices, the company simultaneously announced that its basic Hulu on-demand subscription would be reduced from $7.99 to $5.99 per month.
History of Hulu Live TV pricing increases:
History of Hulu Live TV pricing increases graph
With the debut of Hulu + Live TV in March of this year, Hulu joins the live TV industry. The service was originally available in beta and cost $39.99. Despite the fact that Hulu finally dropped out of beta, it managed to keep the same pricing point until 2019.
Hulu announced a live TV pricing rise in January 2019, which will go into effect in February. The hike amounted to a $5 per month increase, raising the price of a Hulu Live TV subscription from $39.99 to $44.99. Given that the price of a Hulu membership dropped at the same time, this amounted to a $7 price hike.
Hulu announced its second live TV pricing hike in November 2019, the same year it introduced its first. The rise was $10 this time, raising the basic package’s price to $54.99 per month. The price increase, which took effect on December 18, affected both new and existing subscribers.
The second Hulu Live TV price increase was announced exactly one year later, in November 2020. In fact, the statement wasn’t the only resemblance to the last price hike: the cost of a membership jumped by $10, bringing it to $64.99 per month. Similarly, a price hike for Hulu Live TV went into effect on December 18 for the second year in a succession.
Summary of the price increase for Hulu Live TV:
| Date | P/m should be increased. | Price p/m |
|---|---|---|
| March 2017 | Launch of the Service | $39.99 |
| The month of February 2019 | $5 | $44.99 |
| The month of The month of The month of December 2019 | $10 | $54.99 |
| December 2020 | $10 | $64.99 |
Philo
Philo first appeared on the market in November 2017 in its present form. Unlike many of its competitors, Philo has always marketed itself as a low-cost option. For example, Philo’s entry-level subscription cost just $16 a month when it first debuted. While it is now more expensive, it is still less expensive than most other live TV streaming services.
History of Philo price increases:
The graph below shows the history of Philo price increases.
Philo provides a live TV service in November 2017 for $16 per month. For an additional $4 per month, subscribers may upgrade to a larger variety of channels. The “$20 plan” was the name given to this improvement.
Philo hasn’t strayed far from its low-cost strategy throughout the years, and it’s still doing strong today. Despite the fact that the lowest Philo package now costs $20 per month, Philo has yet to officially announce a price rise. Philo avoided a real price hike by merely discontinuing its lowest package.
May 2019: Philo discontinues the $16 subscription, leaving new users with just the $20 package as an option.
Philo price increase summary:
| Date | P/m should be increased. | Price p/m |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 2017 | Launch of the Service | $16 |
| May 2019 | The $16 proposal has been dropped. | $20 |
Sling TV
Sling TV is another low-cost alternative, similar to Philo. However, it’s better to think of this as a hybrid service that sits between between Philo and Hulu/YouTube TV.
Sling TV is another streaming industry veteran, having launched as one of the first thin live TV streaming providers in the United States. In many respects, Sling TV was instrumental in establishing the low-cost bar in the first place.
Sling TV’s basic plans have continued to suffer from a restricted range of channels when compared to the competition, despite the fact that the company seldom raises the price. Sling TV compensates for this by using an a la carte marketing strategy. Sling TV essentially offers a range of add-on packs that users may add to their basic package for an extra fee.
Sling TV has been able to keep its basic costs low because to its fragmented model. Furthermore, as compared to other services, it implies that total price rises are less visible. The numerous add-on packs, for example, have witnessed price hikes over time, but since they only impact a subset of Sling TV subscribers, the changes don’t get as much attention.
History of pricing increases for Sling TV:
The graph below shows the history of Sling TV pricing increases.
Sling TV is launched in In February of this year,, and after a short invitation-only phase, it is made accessible to the general public. The service was previously offered at a monthly cost of $20.
June 2018: Sling TV has undergone a significant transformation and is already feeling the heat from the competition. Sling TV announced a $5 price hike to its different plans as a consequence of this, as well as growing expenditures. The price of the Sling Orange and Sling Blue plans increased from $20 to $25 per month as a consequence of the hike.
December 2019: Sling TV, like the bulk of live TV streaming providers, had a price hike in 2019. Sling acknowledged a $5 per month hike to all of its plans on December 23.
January 2021: Sling TV announced a $5 price hike at the start of 2021. For new customers, the price hike took effect immediately on January 27, but for existing members, it was deferred until July 2021.
The Orange and Blue plans now cost $35 per month as a result of the pricing rise. Similarly, the monthly cost of the combined Sling Orange + Blue package rose by the same amount, to $50.
Summary of the price increase for Sling TV:
| Date | P/m should be increased. | Price p/m |
|---|---|---|
| February 2015 | Launch of the Service | $20 |
| June 2018 | $5 | $25 |
| December 2019 | $5 | $30 |
| January 2021 | $5 | $35 |
Vidgo
Vidgo is a very new live TV streaming service, therefore there have been no price hikes in the classic sense. However, owing to the service’s transition from a soft to a full launch, there has already been one alteration.
Vidgo focuses on social media-related services as one of the key methods to set itself apart from the competition. The Vidgo mobile app, for example, has “Hangs.” Users may create a watch party and interact with other people while viewing the same live program or event.
History of Vidgo pricing increases:
The graph below shows the history of Vidgo pricing increases.
Vidgo introduces its National English Package in the United States in September in the next year. This was merely a soft launch, with memberships beginning at $14.99 a month as an introductory pricing.
Vidgo officially debuted in the United States in December 2019, with the price of its National English Package increasing to $39.99 per month. The National English Package has been rebranded as the Vidgo Core plan since then, while the pricing has remained the same.
Summary of the Vidgo pricing increase:
| Date | P/m should be increased. | Price p/m |
|---|---|---|
| September 2019 | Initial public offering (IPO) | $14.99 |
| December 2019 | Completed launch | $39.99 |
YouTube TV
YouTube TV, like Hulu Live TV, is a newer service than many others. In truth, YouTube TV took a long time to reach a national audience, and it wasn’t until early 2019 that the service could claim to be accessible statewide.
The absence of intricate arrangements was a welcome aspect of the service. Only one YouTube TV package has ever existed, with the identical channel list, features, and pricing. While the plans have remained same over time, the cost has increased.
History of pricing increases on YouTube TV:
The graph below shows the evolution of the pricing of YouTube TV over time.
YouTube TV is launched by Google and YouTube in February 2017. A new live TV streaming service with a monthly fee of $34.99 is now available.
One year later, in March of this year, YouTube TV announces its first price hike, with $5 added to the fee, culminating in a monthly membership costing $39.99. The price hike only impacted new customers at the time, with current subscribers locked in at $35 per month.
In April of this year,: YouTube TV announces its second price rise, with current members getting the short end of the stick this time. The price rise in 2019 amounted to a $10 monthly increase, raising the cost of the single YouTube TV subscription to $49.99. Existing subscribers were not excluded, unlike the prior price rise. For some, this amounted to a monthly raise of $15.
In June 2020, YouTube TV announced a significant price rise of $15 per month. As a consequence, the regular (and only) YouTube TV subscription has increased from $49.99 to $64.99 per month, making it one of the most costly base plans available. No subscribers were excluded from this price hike, as was the case with the April 2019 pricing rise.
Summary of the price increase for YouTube TV:
| Date | P/m should be increased. | Price p/m |
|---|---|---|
| Feb. 2017 | Launch of the Service | $34.99 |
| March 2018 | $5 | $39.99 |
| April 2019 | $10 | $49.99 |
| June 2020 | $15 | $64.99 |
Services are no longer available.
Observe television (closed, sort of)
Existing WatchTV users or those with a qualified AT&T Unlimited plan may continue to utilize the service, even though it is no longer accessible as a single subscription.
AT&T launched WatchTV as a basic live TV streaming service that hasn’t changed much. Despite competing providers adding new features, altering channel lineups, and generally upgrading their entire offering, this was the case. WatchTV, on the other hand, was locked in a loop until AT&T ultimately stopped accepting new customers.
History of pricing increases for WatchTV:
Graph of the growth in the price of WatchTV
AT&T launches WatchTV in June 2018. There is just one plan available, which costs $14.99.
June 2020: The same plan and pricing remained in force until AT&T abruptly announced it would no longer accepting new customers in June 2020.
Summary of the price increase for WatchTV:
| Date | P/m should be increased. | Price p/m |
|---|---|---|
| June 2018 | Launch of the Service | $15 |
| June 2020 | There are no new subscribers. |
PlayStation Vue is a streaming service provided by PlayStation (closed)
PlayStation Vue is no longer available. The service originally went online in early 2015, making it one of the earliest live TV streaming providers. During its early years, PlayStation Vue did a good job of avoiding price rises, but everything changed in 2018. While the service is no longer available, here’s a look at how the pricing has evolved over time.
History of PlayStation Vue pricing increases:
The graph below shows the history of PlayStation Vue pricing increases.
March of this year: PlayStation Vue debuts in the United States with a $40 per month “Access” subscription. PlayStation Vue had even lower options at the time, although they lacked major network channels. As a result, the Access plan became the primary entry-level offering. The $40 pricing stayed in place until 2018, when the Access plan received its first meaningful bump.
July 2018: Sony reveals a $5 per month PlayStation Vue pricing hike. The Access plan was raised from $40 to $45 per month as a consequence of this. While this one took a while to arrive, the following one did not.
July 2019: Sony announced a second price rise, exactly one year after the first. The 2019 price rise, like the last one, increased subscriber costs by $5 per month. As a consequence, the Access plan has increased in price to $50 per month.
PlayStation Vue will be shut off on January 30, 2020, according to Sony.
PlayStation Vue will be decommissioned in January 2020.
Summary of the PlayStation Vue pricing increase:
| Date | P/m should be increased. | Price p/m |
|---|---|---|
| March 2015 | Launch of the Service | $39.99 |
| July 2018 | $5 | $44.99 |
| July 2019 | $5 | $49.99 |
| Jan 2020 | Closed |
The original version of this article was published on November 7, 2019; it was last updated on January 30, 2021.
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