YouTube TV simply copied DirecTV and it may very well be a win on your pockets

YouTube TV is arguably one of the vital standard stay TV streaming platforms within the US, with an estimated 9.4 million subscribers. Nevertheless, though many individuals are concerned with changing into cord-cutters and utilizing a service like YouTube TV, price stays a major barrier. When it launched in 2017, YouTube TV price $35 monthly. In 2025, that price has increased to $83 monthly. Now, it appears YouTube TV is able to partially deal with this situation.

In a latest blog post, YouTube TV introduced it can launch “YouTube TV Plans” in early 2026, permitting customers to subscribe to channel packages primarily based on totally different genres. The Google-owned streaming service did not share pricing particulars, and total, the announcement was fairly imprecise, however YouTube TV did affirm it can provide greater than 10 genre-specific packages.

“TV ought to be simple, giving viewers higher management over what they need to watch. Our aim is to allow you to tailor your subscription with extra choices,” YouTube TV mentioned in a weblog submit. “Whether or not you follow our important YouTube TV plan with 100+ channels, deal with sports activities, mix sports activities and information, or choose a plan centered on household and leisure content material, subscribers will be capable to simply select the plan that works finest for them.”

YouTube TV is taking a web page from DirecTV’s playbook

Certainly one of YouTube TV’s packages will focus solely on sports activities

Credit score: DirecTV / Pocket-lint

Whereas YouTube TV’s announcement is skinny on particulars, it did affirm that it’s going to launch a “YouTube TV Sports activities Plan” within the new 12 months, that includes sports activities networks like FS1, NBC Sports activities Community, all ESPN channels, and ESPN Limitless.

As somebody who follows the TV scene fairly extensively, YouTube TV’s future genre-specific plans remind me of what DirecTV already affords. Earlier this 12 months, DirecTV launched what it calls Genre Packs, which let customers join channel bundles primarily based on particular genres at a decrease price than subscribing to one in every of its important signature package deal plans, which embrace a bunch extra channels.

DirecTV affords a number of totally different Style Packs, with the massive three being MyEntertainment, MyNews, and MySports. For instance, its MySports bundle affords over 20 sports-focused channels, together with ESPN, CBS Sports activities, Fox Sports activities, TNT, and TBS, and prices $70 a month. That is $13 cheaper than YouTube TV’s present base plan.

Presently, whenever you join YouTube TV, you are subscribing to its all-in-one package deal, which incorporates each channel the service affords. Which means even when you solely need a handful of channels, you continue to pay for a lot of you may by no means watch. YouTube TV’s new genre-specific plans appear designed to repair this. But it is arduous to not discover the irony: YouTube TV is beginning to resemble the normal cable mannequin it was initially meant to interchange.

In fact, the massive query right here is worth. YouTube TV did not reveal how a lot these new plans will price, saying solely that it goals to supply “extra selection and suppleness.” If these plans find yourself being considerably cheaper than the present $83-per-month important plan, lots of people may very well have an interest. I do know loads of individuals who watch solely leisure channels on TV and have zero curiosity in sports activities. Conversely, I do know different individuals who watch nothing however sports activities on conventional TV and depend on Netflix or Disney+ for all the pieces else — which is why I feel these new genre-based plans may entice actual curiosity.

YouTube TV says its new genre-specific plans will launch “early subsequent 12 months,” so full particulars on the packages, genres, and pricing will probably be revealed then.