Tired of hefty cable bills and restrictive contracts? You’re not alone. Many are cutting the cord and turning to streaming services for their entertainment needs. Live TV streaming services offer a compelling alternative to traditional cable, providing access to your favorite channels without the unnecessary fees, equipment rentals, and binding annual contracts. Among the frontrunners in this streaming revolution is YouTube TV, boasting over five million subscribers as of July 2022, according to Google. This popular service provides a robust channel lineup and features that cater to modern viewers.
What is YouTube TV? A Comprehensive Overview
YouTube TV stands out as a leading over-the-top (OTT) streaming service, recognized for its straightforward approach. It offers a single, comprehensive plan currently priced at $73 per month, granting subscribers access to a vast selection of over 100 live TV channels spanning entertainment, news, and sports. It’s important to note that the specific channel availability can vary depending on your geographical location.
One of YouTube TV’s appealing features is its family-friendly setup, allowing for up to six individual user profiles within a single household. Furthermore, it supports streaming on up to three devices simultaneously, ensuring everyone in the family can watch their preferred content at the same time. With no long-term contracts and a generous free trial period of up to 14 days, exploring whether YouTube TV is the ideal streaming solution for your needs is both easy and risk-free.
Beyond its live TV channel offerings, YouTube TV includes unlimited cloud DVR storage at no additional cost. This feature allows you to record an impressive amount of your favorite shows, movies, and live events. However, it’s worth noting that recordings are automatically deleted after nine months. Recorded content can be accessed and viewed on any mobile device logged into your YouTube TV account with an active internet connection, offering flexibility and on-the-go entertainment.
YouTube TV boasts broad compatibility, functioning seamlessly across a wide array of streaming devices, smart TVs, and laptops. Supported devices include popular platforms like Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast, Apple TV, Android TV (Google TV), as well as smart TVs from LG, Samsung, and Vizio. Gaming consoles such as Sony PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S are also compatible, along with Android and Apple iOS and iPadOS mobile devices.
YouTube TV Channel Lineup: Exploring Your Options
The YouTube TV channel list is extensive, featuring a rich mix of entertainment, news, sports, and children’s networks. Among its impressive roster of over 100 channels, you’ll find more than 40 lifestyle channels, over 15 dedicated sports channels, upwards of 15 news channels for staying informed, and more than 10 family-friendly channels. Local network channels are also included in many areas.
This comprehensive lineup includes popular entertainment networks like BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, and PBS. For news enthusiasts, channels like CNN and BBC World News provide up-to-the-minute global coverage. Sports fans will be delighted with the inclusion of major sports networks such as NBA TV and NFL Network, in addition to ESPN and Fox Sports channels.
Here is a detailed breakdown of the channels available on YouTube TV:
- ABC
- ABC News
- ACCN
- AMC
- Adult Swim
- Animal Planet
- BBC America
- BBC World News
- BET
- BET Her
- Big Ten Network
- Bravo
- Bounce
- CBS
- CBS Sports Network
- CNBC
- CNBC World
- CNN
- Cartoon Network
- Cheddar
- Cheddar News
- CMT
- Comedy Central
- Comedy TV
- Comet
- Court TV
- Cozi TV
- Dabl
- Discovery
- Disney
- Disney Junior
- Disney XD
- Docurama
- Dove Channel
- E!
- ESPN
- ESPN2
- ESPN U
- ESPNews
- Fox
- Fox Business
- Fox News
- Fox Soul
- Fox Weather
- FS 1
- FS 2
- FX
- FXM
- FXX
- Food Network
- Freeform
- Galavision
- Get TV
- Golf Channel
- Game Show Network
- Hallmark Channel
- Hallmark Drama
- Hallmark Movies & Mysteries
- HGTV
- HLN
- HSN
- IFC
- Investigation Discovery
- Ion
- Justice Central TV
- LAFC Channel
- Law & Crime
- Live Now
- Local Now
- Localish
- MSNBC
- Motortrend
- MTV
- MTV 2
- MTV Classic
- My TV
- NBA TV
- NBC
- NBC News Now
- NBC Universo
- NBCSN
- NBCLX
- NECN
- Nat Geo Wild
- National Geographic
- News Nation
- NFL Network
- Nickelodeon
- Nick Jr.
- Nicktoons
- Orlando City Channel
- OWN
- Oxygen
- Oxygen True Crime
- Paramount
- PBS
- PBS Kids
- PC Mag
- Pop
- QVC
- Recipe TV
- Scripps News
- SEC Network
- SNY
- Smithsonian Channel
- Start TV
- Sundance TV
- SyFy
- TBS
- Turner Classic Movies
- TLC
- TNT
- TYT
- Tastemade
- Teen Nick
- TeleHit
- The CW
- The Great Courses
- Travel Channel
- Tru TV
- TV Land
- USA
- Unimas
- Universal Kids
- Univision
- VH1
- WE TV
- The Weather Channel
- YouTube Originals
Premium Add-Ons: Expanding Your YouTube TV Guide
Beyond the extensive base channel list, YouTube TV offers a variety of premium add-on channels to further customize your viewing experience. These add-ons come with additional monthly fees:
- Acorn TV: $6.00/mo.
- ALLBLK: $5.00/mo.
- AMC+: $6.99/mo.
- CINEMAX: $9.99/mo.
- Comedy Dynamics: $4.99/mo.
- CONtv:$4.99/mo.
- CuriosityStream: $3.00/mo.
- Docurama: $4.99/mo.
- DOVE: $4.99/mo.
- Fandor: $3.99/mo.
- Fox Nation: $5.99/mo.
- Hallmark Movies Now: $5.99/mo.
- HBO Max: $15.99/mo.
- HBO: $14.99/mo.
- IFC Films Unlimited: $5.99/mo.
- Law & Crime: $1.99/mo.
- MGM+: $6.00/mo.
- Pantaya: $5.99/mo.
- Screambox: $4.99/mo.
- ScreenPix: $2.99/mo.
- SHOWTIME: $11.00/mo.
- STARZ: $9.00/mo.
- Shudder: $6.00/mo.
- Sundance Now: $7.00/mo.
- UP Faith & Family: $5.99/mo.
- WE tv+: $5.99/mo.
- Entertainment Plus (HBO Max, SHOWTIME, and STARZ): $29.99/mo.
- Sports Plus (FOX Soccer Plus, beIN Sports, NFL RedZone, and more): $10.99/mo.
- NBA League Pass: $28.99/mo. or $199.00/yr.
Sports on YouTube TV: A Sports Fan’s Guide
For sports enthusiasts, YouTube TV’s basic package already includes more than 15 sports channels. This includes the ESPN family of networks, Fox Sports networks, and college sports networks like ACC Network, Big Ten Network, and SEC Network.
For viewers seeking even more sports content, the Sports Plus package is available for an additional $11 per month. This add-on provides 15 extra channels, such as Billiard TV, Outdoor TV+, Fox College Sports, Fox Soccer Plus, GOLTV, MAVTV, NFL RedZone, Stadium, and TVG.
It’s important to be aware that YouTube TV is subject to the same blackout restrictions imposed by professional sports leagues as traditional cable. This means that games may be blacked out in specific geographic areas if they are not sold out or if you are outside of the designated media market. League rules may also occasionally result in blackouts specifically on mobile devices.
For dedicated basketball fans, NBA League Pass offers access to all out-of-market NBA games. Subscribers can choose between a single team option or a comprehensive package to watch all games for all teams.
Local Channels: Staying Connected with Your Community
YouTube TV excels in providing local channels, ensuring you can stay informed about local news, weather, and sports. Major networks like ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC are typically available in most areas across the country. Depending on your location, you might also receive PBS, The CW, MyNetworkTV, and Telemundo. To check the specific local networks available in your area, simply enter your zip code on the YouTube TV website.
YouTube TV Channel Guide: How Does It Compare?
When choosing a live TV streaming service, you have numerous options. Competitors include Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, fuboTV, and Philo. YouTube TV is priced higher than Sling TV (starting at $40/month) and Philo ($25/month), but it offers a significantly larger number of channels, including local networks which are absent from Philo.
Compared to its other competitors, YouTube TV at $73/month is slightly less expensive than fuboTV, which begins at $75/month. In terms of channel count, YouTube TV, with its 100+ channels, is comparable to Hulu + Live TV, which is priced at $70/month.
Entertainment Channels: A Rich Selection
Similar to traditional cable and other live TV streaming services, entertainment channels form the bulk of YouTube TV’s offerings. Whether your interests lie in DIY projects, historical documentaries, cooking shows, or music-centric programming, you’ll find a wide variety of channels to cater to your tastes on YouTube TV.
News Channels: Stay Informed
YouTube TV distinguishes itself in the news category, providing a robust selection of over 15 news channels. This includes prominent networks like CNBC, CNN, HLN, MSNBC, and BBC World News, ensuring comprehensive news coverage from various perspectives.
Channels for Kids: Family-Friendly Viewing
Families with younger viewers will find plenty of kid-friendly content on YouTube TV. It features many of the most popular children’s channels, including Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., PBS Kids, and Universal Kids.
This selection is competitive with other services; Hulu + Live TV also offers Disney and Nickelodeon channels, while Sling TV’s Blue package includes channels like TeenNick, Nick Jr., Cartoon Network, and Baby TV.
Overall Value and Price: Is YouTube TV Worth It?
While YouTube TV is more expensive than Philo or Sling TV, it delivers a more comprehensive viewing experience with broader options for all family members. When compared to similarly priced competitors like fuboTV and Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV remains a strong contender. Although fuboTV boasts a higher channel count, a significant portion of those channels are sports-focused. While this appeals to dedicated sports fans, viewers with broader interests or those less focused on sports might find themselves paying for channels they don’t utilize.
YouTube TV’s unlimited cloud DVR is a significant advantage, eliminating concerns about storage limitations for recording and watching favorite programs. This feature, combined with its extensive channel list, user-friendly interface, and multi-device streaming, makes YouTube TV a compelling choice in the live TV streaming market.
Final Verdict: Is YouTube TV Your Ideal TV Guide?
YouTube TV offers a well-rounded mix of entertainment, kids, news, and sports channels, ensuring there’s content for everyone in the household. For most viewers, YouTube TV’s channel lineup will be more than satisfactory. And for those seeking premium networks, they can be easily added without long-term commitments.
With its comprehensive channel list, unlimited cloud DVR, support for six user profiles, and a free trial of up to 14 days, YouTube TV allows you to experience firsthand if it meets all your entertainment needs. This live streaming service confidently competes with Hulu + Live TV and fuboTV, and it surpasses Sling TV with its single, all-inclusive channel package, making it a strong contender as your go-to TV guide.
