AI News Feed
Market watch
Xiaomi Vision GT to Join GT7 as First Chinese VGT; GT Adds First Electric Driving TutorialMacPaw Launches Leebry to Automate IT Support and Address AI Trust GapEngadget Explains the Difference Between Google Wallet and Google PayCheap Soundbars Called One of the Least Expensive Ways to Add Dolby Atmos to a TVMonster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance Hands-On Reveals Aerial Archipelagoes and Boost BracerGooglebooks Bring Gemini Intelligence to Premium Laptops as TechRadar Weighs Cost Against Chromebooks
Xiaomi Vision GT to Join GT7 as First Chinese VGT; GT Adds First Electric Driving TutorialMacPaw Launches Leebry to Automate IT Support and Address AI Trust GapEngadget Explains the Difference Between Google Wallet and Google PayCheap Soundbars Called One of the Least Expensive Ways to Add Dolby Atmos to a TVMonster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance Hands-On Reveals Aerial Archipelagoes and Boost BracerGooglebooks Bring Gemini Intelligence to Premium Laptops as TechRadar Weighs Cost Against Chromebooks
Products & Applications

YouTube TV at $82.99 a Month: Sports Perks, Channel Losses and Alternatives

Engadget weighs YouTube TV's $82.99 monthly value, citing sports perks, channel losses and alternatives.

AI News Feed · 2026-10-03 22:41

YouTube TV's 4K Plus add-on costs an extra $10 per month and is only available for select content, including sports, live events and shows from its on-demand library. Engadget noted that only a limited number of TV streamers offer 4K programming. The service also is losing Tastemade, Court TV and The Young Turks, and any recordings saved from those channels will be erased, though each channel remains free on services such as Pluto TV, The Roku Channel and Samsung TV Plus.

For sports fans, Engadget said football season recently kicked off and new YouTube TV users can get NFL Sunday Ticket for $30 a month, while current YouTube TV subscribers must pay the standard $47.25 a month. In early September, ESPN Unlimited became fully available to main YouTube TV and Sports Plan subscribers. College football and out-of-market NHL games are two major draws. That availability follows a 15-day blackout on all Disney-owned channels in October after contract negotiations; the Disney blackout that affected ABC and ESPN ended last November. Engadget also complained about the lack of Spectrum SportsNet, which forces a long-time Lakers fan to subscribe to Spectrum SportsNet's streaming service, while DirecTV offers it readily.

YouTube TV raised its base subscription cost from $72.99 to $82.99 a month earlier this year. The service is still cheaper than most cable or satellite setups, according to Engadget, but it costs more than $20 above the priciest Sling plan, which features more than 50 channels. Engadget said the main $82.99 plan is worth it for viewers who cannot live without cable staples such as Hallmark and Disney Channel, and that the Sports + Entertainment package may be worth considering because it saves $11 a month and still streams more than 70 channels.

Among alternatives, the ad-supported Hulu + Live TV package costs $99 a month and includes Disney+ and ESPN Select on top of Hulu and live TV, making it a good choice for Disney and sports lovers, Engadget said. Like YouTube TV, Hulu offers unlimited DVR storage that keeps content for up to nine months. DirecTV's streaming service offers Disney+ and Hulu to all Genre Pack subscribers and ESPN Unlimited to its larger Package subscribers, bringing together features from YouTube TV and Hulu, with pricing starting at $20.99 a month for the former and $90 a month for the latter.