These are not days of transformational change in the moribund virtual MVPD business. So when the market's second leading contender adds a few soccer-fueled channels to its sports add-on bundle, it ranks as news.
YouTube TV announced Wednesday that it is packing in the English-language beIN Sports channel, as well as beIn Sports Xtra, to its Sports Plus add-on package, a $10.99-a-month offering that features more than 20 networks, NFL Redzone, Fox College Sports and Fox Soccer Plus already among them.
beIN Sports' soccer coverage includes access to leagues and tournaments including Ligue 1, SüperLig, Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana and Coupe de France.
Other sports, including the first women's motor racing championship, the W Series, are also featured in the beIN smorgasbord. (Note: We don't like to indulge media companies who try to make us lead sentences with lowercase letters, but we're too tired to fight it today.)
“beIN Sports is continuing its fan focus by expanding distribution to YouTube TV, allowing fans to connect with ease from coast to coast,” said Antonio Briceño, managing director of beIN Sports North America. "As the official broadcaster in the U.S. and Canada of Ligue 1 and Coupe de France, the launch of beIN Sports and beIN Sports XTRA on YouTube TV comes at an exciting time as subscribers will now be able to witness history in the making with Leo Messi recently joining Paris Saint-Germain.”
In its press release, YouTube touted 3 million users--which is flat with what parent company Alphabet disclosed back in October of last year.
Yes indeed, growth seems to be coming much more slowly these days for YouTube TV and other OTT-delivered pay TV operators. Like the programming additions, the promotions have been pretty conservative.
YouTube is currently offering new subscribers a $10-a-month break for the first three months of service, meaning they get YouTube TV and its base offering of more than 85 linear pay TV channels for $54.99 for the first 90 days, before the price shoots up to $64.99.
