YouTube TV's Big Price Hike Undermines Cutting The Cord From DirecTV And Cable

Just when you thought you've escaped draconian cable TV pricing for cheaper streaming services, YouTube TV pulls a doozy with a subscription price hike to $73 per month.

In a tweet, Google announced that it will be increasing its monthly subscription by $8 (from $65 per month), giving cord-cutters less of a justification to stay away from traditional cable services. The company cites rising "content costs", as well as investing in their "quality of service". For reference, you can get more than 165 channels on DirectTV's base plan (DVR included) for $65 per month.

There are a couple of reasons behind the price increase. A landmark new seven-year NFL Sunday Ticket streaming deal will cost Mountain View $2.5 billion per season. Google also happened to outbid DirectTV—that used to own broadcasting rights—by $1 billion, so somebody needs to help defray that eye-watering cost. Note that ...