As one of the subsidiaries of Alphabet (popularly known as Google), YouTube launched its premium TV streaming service YouTube TV back in 2017 as the space became more competitive thanks to great successes recorded by Netflix.
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Ordinarily, YouTube TV would have no chance against the likes of Netflix and Hulu, except that it had the trillion-dollar financial backing of Google.
While YouTube TV launched in select markets within the United States, it is now available in almost everywhere in the country. With its $49.99 monthly subscription fee, YouTube TV has been a great solution for many households looking to end their cable TV contracts.
However, if you do not know if this is a service you should subscribe to, do due diligence to read this YouTube TV guide.
What is YouTube TV?
YouTube TV is an Internet media streaming solution that has a wide range of popular TV channels, many of which you will find on traditional TV. As of Q4 2019, the service had more than 2 million subscribers in the US alone.
Some of the major TV networks you will find on YouTube TV include. CBS, CNN, ABC, PBS, FOX, ESPN, NBC, AMC, TBS, and Discovery.
Packages, Plans, and Pricing
Unlike other streaming services that offer several packages, YouTube TV only offers customers a $49.99 monthly subscription service. While you may think this is a limited platform, you should also think about the hassles you do not have to go through sifting and navigating plans just to see which one is great for you.
YouTube TV has erased all of that as you will definitely find channels and contents that interest you irrespective of your personal inclination.
You should also note that channel availability is location-based. That is, you may not get all the over 70 channels in your subscription as it may not be available in your location.
YouTube TV Channels
As earlier said, YouTube TV is home to several traditional TV channels that you have available on your cable TV. So, you can get to watch the Discovery channel and switch to ABC for your late-night shows.
You could also head over to Fix Sports, NBA TV, MLB Network, NBC Sports, NBCSN, ESPN, CBS Sports, and a lot more to catch up on your favorite live games. Channels like Boomerang, MTV, NHL Network, Nickelodeon, and Comedy Central are not yet on the platform. But, do not rule anything out as things stand.
Here are the channels available on YouTube TV:
- ABC
- CBS
- FOX
- NBC
- ACCN
- AMC
- Adult Swim
- Animal Planet BBC
- BBC World News
- BTN
- Bravo
- CBS Sports
- CNBC CNBC World
- CNN
- Cartoon Network
- Cheddar Big News
- Cheddar Business
- Comet TV
- Cozi TV Discovery
- Disney Disney Junior
- Disney XD
- E!
- ESPN
- ESPN2
- ESPN U
- ESPNEWS
- FOX Business
- FOX News Channel
- FS1
- FS2
- FX
- FXM
- FXX
- Food Network
- FOX Sports
- Freeform
- Golf Channel
- HGTV
- HLN
- IFC
- Investigation Discovery
- LAFC
- Local Now
- MLB Game of the week
- MLB Network
- MSNBC
- Motortrend
- MyNetworkTV
- NBA TV
- NBC Sports
- NBCUniversal
- NBCSN
- NECN
- NESN
- NatGeo Wild
- National Geographic
- Newsy
- OWN
- Olympics Channel
- Orlando City
- Oxygen
- PBS
- PBS Kids
- POP
- SEC
- ESPN Network
- SNY
- Smithsonian Channel
- StartTV
- SundanceTV
- SyFy
- TBS
- TCM
- TLC
- TNT
- TYT
- Tastemade
- Telemundo
- Tennis Channel
- The CW
- Travel Channel
- TruTV
- USA
- Universal Kids
- WE TV
- YES
- YES Network
In addition to its TV channels, YouTube offers consumers premium add-ons that you can add to your subscription as you sign up.
Please, note that these add-ons have their own separate subscription fees too. That is, you have to pay for these add-ons as well.
YouTube TV add-ons and their monthly subscription fees include:
- Acorn ($6)
- AMC Premiere ($5)
- CuriosityStream ($3)
- EPIX ($6)
- FOX Soccer Plus ($15)
- NBA League Pass ($40)
- Showtime ($7)
- Shudder ($6)
- STARZ ($9)
- Sundance Now ($7)
- UMC ($5)
By subscribing to these extra services, you can get to enjoy premium movies as they come out of the studio and world-class series and TV episodes. You also have the excellent feature of Cloud DVR which is basically about storing these TV programs in the cloud and accessing them at your wish.
YouTube TV subscription can be accessed by up to six people. This means that you can add your family, friends, and relatives to your account and enjoy the service together. However, only three people can simultaneously stream the service.
Compatible Devices
YouTube TV can be accessed via a number of devices. We can take a look at some of them below.
- Android tablets and smartphones with Android 5.0 or higher
- IOS devices running iOS 11 or higher
- Second-gen or higher Chromecast
- TVs with built-in Chromecast
- 4th gen or higher Apple TV
- Apple TV 4k
- Android TVs and boxes
- Second-gen firestick, fire TV cube, firestick 4k, Amazon Fire TV
Roku Streaming Stick (3600x or newer), Roku Streaming Stick+ HE, Roku Express & Express+, Roku Premiere, Roku Ultra & Ultra LT, Roku 2 (4210x), Roku 3 (4200x, 4230x), Roku 4, Roku Smart Soundbar, Roku Smart TVs
- LG and Samsung Smart TVs (2016 or newer), Vizio SmartCast TVs, select Hisense, and Sharp TV models
- PlayStation 4 and Xbox One (including Xbox One S and Xbox One X)
- The latest version of Google Chrome for Windows, Linux, and macOS
Audio and Image Quality
If you have a 4k TV, you may not be able to max out the image quality of your TV set. This is because YouTube offers up to Full HD resolution (1080p). Yet, most of the available channels are 480p standard. You will find some that are of HD quality (720p).
Nonetheless, CBS Sports and MSNBC have 1080 resolution. You will find a few channels that offer similar resolution quality.
The audio quality is great as you have a 2.0 stereo audio stream. You also have Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound available on certain channels. You can as well enable captions on your screen. This is an automatically generated feature on YouTube TV.
Conclusion
YouTube TV is a sub $50 streaming service that can replace your traditional cable TV without you missing any of those channels as you retain the variety of conventional TV channels. The likes of ABC6, CNN, and FOX remain available.
