nScreenNoise – YouTube TV tech add-on package could boost ARPU, subs

Chapter 1: YouTube TV costs almost as much as cable (0:26)
vMVPDs have moved a long way from their skinny bundle roots. YouTube TV, for example, launched with 65 channels for $35 a month. Today, it has about 85 channels for $65. It is not alone. Hulu Live and fuboTV both cost $65 a month.

However, though YouTube TV is much more expensive, its mix of local TV channels, RSNs, and popular entertainment channels appears to be resonating with consumers.

It became the second most popular vMVPD in 2020, increasing subscribers by one million to “more than 3M.” The increase puts at just behind market leader Hulu Live and ahead of third-place service Sling TV.

Chapter 2: YouTube TV introducing a technology add-on (2:22)
Even at $65 a month, YouTube TV is not making much profit, if any at all. To try and boost revenue and profit, YouTube TV announced it would introduce a technology package that includes

4K streaming
Offline viewing
Unlimited concurrent streams at home.
It says that the package will be an add-on, meaning subscribers will have to pay extra for it.

Chapter 3: 4k streaming (3:27)
Fubo TV provides some 4K content at no extra charge. However, there is a limited amount of 4k video available. Some sports events are available in 4K and some movies.

Chapter 4: Downloads (4:16)
Downloads are provided at no extra charge in most SVOD services. However, YouTube TV will be the first to vMVPD to introduce the feature. The company provided no details of what people will be allowed to download, though it is likely the feature will be restricted to a few channels and some on-demand content.

Chapter 5: Unlimited concurrent streams (5:54)
A standard YouTube TV subscriber can have three people simultaneously viewers watching TV through the service at the same time. The add-on package allows an unlimited number of simultaneous viewers in the home. However, it is not clear how useful the feature is. nscreenmedia