YouTube Launches TV Plans: Do Media Companies Now Need to Have It All?

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the BBC preparing to commission original, YouTube-first programming. It was a move that felt like a sign of the times; the decision to adapt was out of survival. 

For more than a century, the BBC has been the embodiment of public-service broadcasting: centrally funded, trusted as an institution, and distributed through carefully controlled channels. Its decision to lean into a platform-native future signalled something profound. Traditional broadcasters, it seemed, had accepted that the centre of gravity had shifted.

Now, the pendulum has swung the other way

With the launch of new tiered subscription bundles under YouTube TV, YouTube is edging closer to the very model it once disrupted. 

The new plans, spanning sport, news, entertainment and family channels, offer lower-priced bundles built around familiar broadcast networks. Unlimited DVR, multi-user accounts and premium add-ons remain, but the structure is unmistakable: curated channel packages designed like traditional TV.

These two industry developments point to the same conclusion. The future of entertainment is no longer a battle between traditional television and streaming platforms, and those who continue to think that way will be left behind.