YouTube TV’s 12 New Plans: Which Ones Are Really Worth It?

Added: 2026-05-22

[00:00:00]YouTube TV doesn't have just one plan anymore. Now there's more than a dozen, but after my testing and review of the channel lineups, I think most people only realistically have a few choices.

[00:00:13]In today's video, I'll help you decide.

[00:00:15]All right, but before we take a closer look at the new genre plans, I've got to begin with YouTube TV's main plan. It's the one that has helped the service reach more than 10 million subscribers.

[00:00:27]Can you believe that? It's YouTube's most expensive and most comprehensive bundle. Think about it this way. That main plan has five components: locals, sports, news, entertainment, and family networks. And all these genre plans, they are step- down options from that main plan. You can see that from this plan selector tool right here on YouTube TV's website. And the genre plans offer combinations from these four categories of content. Live sports, entertainment, news, and family. And by my count, YouTube TV has got 12 of these genre plans in all. Every single one of them has got local stations, like it or not.

[00:01:10]And those broadcast TV networks can really drive up the price of any bundle.

[00:01:15]These are no exception. So, a dozen plans kind of sounds overwhelming at first, but as I mentioned at the top of the video, there's really only a few that are standouts. Let's talk about them now. Let's walk through it. And I'll start on YouTube TV's homepage because what do you notice right here?

[00:01:34]Only one of the genre plans is prominently featured, and that is the sports plan right here next to the main plan. Of course, pricing can change any time, but the sports plan does offer meaningful savings compared to the main plan. It's got your local stations and the top sports networks from ESPN, as well as FS1 and FS2, NFL Network, TBS, TNT, USA, and more. This plan is for that sports fan who's complained about having to pay for entertainment and news networks that they don't really watch.

[00:02:09]But those networks, they are still being offered alongside the sports plan in other bundles. In fact, by my count, there are six other new YouTube TV bundles that include sports as well as some combination of news, entertainment, and family channels. And the more genres you add, the less you'll save compared to the main plan that's got everything.

[00:02:34]All right. So, what if you don't care about sports or you just want to save a little bit of money during the off season? In that case, you may want to look at YouTube TV's entertainment plan.

[00:02:46]This is the least expensive genre plan, and it includes cable networks like HGTV, TLC, Bravo, Hallmark, FX, and Comedy Central. And once again, alongside your local broadcast TV stations. Now, cable news networks, they are not part of this plan. They're available in a separate but more expensive bundle, and there's no standalone bundle for news. So, this entertainment plan is going to make the most sense for people who can't get their local stations with an antenna and maybe don't use a lot of standalone apps. And after reviewing all 12 plans, I kept coming back to the same few options. Compared to the main YouTube TV plan, the standalone sports plan and the standalone entertainment plan do have the best pricing. For options with sports, only that standalone plan is under $70 a month at launch. Pricing aside, I think the combinations I've got listed here may end up being the most popular. And there's one more plan I want to call out, and this one you may be surprised to find on my list. Here it is. sports plus news plus entertainment.

[00:03:57]And I know this one doesn't offer much savings compared to the main plan, but it does leave out the family networks that you see listed here. And I think for a lot of households, those are going to be the easiest channels to give up.

[00:04:11]So, if you're paying for the YouTube TV main plan, but you're not getting any special promos anymore, downgrading to this plan could save you a few bucks a month. So, with these new YouTube TV plans, you are obviously giving up some channels, but you are not going to have to give up any features. You are still going to get up to six accounts per household and three simultaneous streams. DVR is unlimited, but just know if you switch between the genre plans, you are going to lose some of your old recordings. You only access recordings for the channels you're currently paying for. and other features like multi- view, which is now fully customizable.

[00:04:53]Those are included with all YouTube TV plans. The same goes for popular add-ons, things like NFL Sunday Ticket and 4K Plus. They're available here from my sports and news genre plan, plus lots of premium networks. Some of these with free trials, too. So, really, what's the point of all this? The biggest changes to YouTube TV's plans in history.

[00:05:17]There's a few things going on here. For new customers, YouTube TV's main plan has gotten too expensive. So now the service can advertise a lower starting price. And more importantly, I think the genre plans may keep some current YouTube TV users from either pausing or cancelling when football season ends because now you can just downgrade to a different plan as your viewing habits change. And YouTube TV is also responding to pressure from competitors.

[00:05:48]Direct TV has its own genre packs, sports, entertainment, news, and family.

[00:05:54]And in some cases, these plans may be a better value for you. Plus, of course, there's free and paid standalone apps that have replaced the traditional pay TV bundle in a whole lot of households.

[00:06:06]So, by now I hope you've got an idea if any of YouTube TV's new plans are going to be worth it for your household. I want to show you this poll from my viewers, some mixed reaction to them, and here's how I see it. The genre plans, they're best for people who want full local coverage from a single app.

[00:06:25]Remember, all of them include broadcast TV networks. Don't care about all four categories of content shown here, then maybe these plans are worth it, too. And another reason to consider if you really like YouTube TV's app experience and features because all that's the same with these plans. And just a warning, make sure that you confirm the channel lineup before you sign up for any new plan or make any switches. The genre plans are smaller by design and not every single network from the main plan makes it into the respective genre plan.

[00:07:01]New customers can compare the channel lineups from YouTube TV's homepage and existing customers can follow me here.

[00:07:08]Go to your settings, explore plans, and then scroll down to find a plan to filter the options by your interests.

[00:07:17]Then from any recommended plan, click on more info to preview the channel lineup.

[00:07:22]You can also easily change your plan at any time from the settings. you'll access the new plan right away and your billing cycle is going to reset. So, you're not going to get a partial refund. Instead, you're going to get a one-time credit for your old plan, but that amount is capped at the price of your new plan. Something to be aware of, especially if you are downgrading right after you just paid for a full month.

[00:07:48]And if you're on any special promo like this one for the sports plan, you will lose your discount by switching plans.

[00:07:56]Hope you found this helpful.