YouTube TV has changed how it sells subscriptions. Instead of one large bundle, it started rolling out genre-based packages the week of February 9, 2026, letting you pay only for the kinds of programs you actually watch — sports, news, entertainment, and so on. They became available to everyone in the U.S. over the following weeks, and YouTube says more than 10 lower-cost packages are coming over time.

The biggest headline is the YouTube TV Sports Plan. It runs $54.99/month for the first year for new customers (and $64.99/month for existing subscribers), and includes roughly 30 channels: your local ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC stations, all of the ESPN networks (with ESPN Unlimited content arriving later in 2026), sports-heavy channels like TBS, TNT, and USA, plus league channels such as Big Ten Network, Golf Channel, NBA TV, and NFL Network. You can still add extras like NFL Sunday Ticket and NFL RedZone, and every plan keeps the unlimited DVR recording YouTube TV is known for.

A few of the other new plans:

  • Entertainment Plan — $44.99/month for new customers ($54.99 existing): Comedy Central, Bravo, Paramount, Food Network, HGTV, and more.
  • Sports + News Plan — $56.99/month for new customers ($71.99 existing): everything in the Sports Plan plus CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, CNBC, and other news networks.
  • News + Entertainment + Family Plan — $59.99/month for new customers ($69.99 existing): Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, National Geographic, PBS Kids, and more.

What this means for cord-cutters

If you dropped cable but still feel like you’re paying too much for streaming, this is the kind of change that could help. Instead of $82.99/month for the full YouTube TV bundle, you can pick just the categories you care about for less.

The flip side: if you watch a little bit of everything, stacking multiple genre packs can end up costing the same or more than the full bundle. It’s worth doing the math on what you actually watch before you switch.

Our take

C
Casey

This is a good thing if there are only specific styles of shows you like to watch. I just hope it doesn't overcomplicate the sign-up process! The sports plan is the one that caught my eye.

M
Mike

"Cutting the cord" is ever evolving. New offerings from streamers come out frequently, and plans are always changing with the traditional TV, internet, and cell phone providers. I recommend that our clients review their options at least every two years — if not annually — to make sure they're paying for the services that make the most sense for them. We're available to help with these reviews if you'd like our assistance.

Need help reviewing your subscriptions?

We help clients audit their streaming services, cable bills, and phone plans to make sure they’re not paying for things they don’t use. It’s one of the most popular things we do.

Request an appointment or call us at 651-460-9040.