What is YouTube TV?
The streaming services war is heating up in the U.S., and
Google
‘s YouTube TV easily stands out among the sea of streaming services offering live TV channels without cable. You can access 100+ live TV channels, record your favorite shows and sports events with unlimited DVR storage, and explore add-ons to elevate your cord-cutting experience. Cross-platform availability isn’t an issue either. Google offers YouTube TV apps on Android, iPhone, smart TV platforms, and all the major streaming devices.
With popular sports, entertainment, and news channels along with NFL Sunday Ticket and thousands of on-demand titles, YouTube TV should be high on your priority list if you plan to cut the cord at home. Unlike rival streaming services, YouTube TV doesn’t bog down the sign-up process with several plans and subscription options. Besides, there are no hidden charges or annual contacts to deal with. That’s why it has become the most popular live TV service in the United States.
If you are unsure whether cutting the cord for YouTube TV makes sense, this guide is for you. We explain the service in detail, cover its features and pricing, and tell you about its shortcoming so that you can make an informed decision.
What is YouTube TV, and how does it work?
YouTube TV is a live TV streaming service that gives you access to more than 100 live TV channels. You don’t need a satellite dish or cable connection for YouTube TV to work. You can use it like any other online streaming service. You only need an active internet connection, the YouTube TV app, and a streaming device. The YouTube TV app is available on smartphones, tablets, Smart TVs, Android TV boxes, and more, allowing you to stream your favorite TV shows and sports games whenever and wherever you want.
Google launched the service in 2017, but it was initially restricted to a few locations in the United States. In 2019, the service expanded to 210 locations in the United States. Despite fierce competition from Sling TV, Fubo TV, and Hulu Live TV, YouTube TV became the best and most popular live TV streaming service in the country, crossing 6 million active subscribers in May 2023.
Much of its success comes from its support for 100+ TV channels, competitive pricing, and an intuitive user interface, making it easy for users to get to the content they want to watch. The service is set to become even better for football fans with NFL Sunday Ticket’s availability.
Despite a similar branding, you shouldn’t confuse YouTube TV with YouTube. Google’s video-sharing service is a separate platform and serves a different purpose than YouTube TV. You can read our ultimate guide to learn more about YouTube.
YouTube TV price
YouTube TV was priced at $35 per month at launch. The pricing has increased over time as the search giant expanded the service availability with more live TV channels. The latest hike came in March 2023, when the company increased the base monthly price from $65 to $73.
YouTube TV offers a 10-day free trial to all new subscribers. The pricing remains at $65 per month for the first three months. YouTube also offers a Spanish plan that includes 34+ channels from Spanish networks. It’s priced at $35 per month. The Spanish plan comes with a week of free trial for new users.
The base plan of YouTube TV lets you create accounts for six family members and supports three simultaneous streams. You also get unlimited cloud DVR, allowing you to record shows, movies, and live games, without storage restrictions. Anything you record in the DVR stays for nine months, giving you ample time to catch up on your favorite shows and games.
While the price increases might seem steep, comparing it to other live TV streaming services shows that YouTube TV’s current pricing is better than the competition when you consider the features it offers.
YouTube TV premium add-ons
Other than the base plan, YouTube TV also lets you buy add-ons that give you access to premium channels, 4K streaming, and more. Here are the add-ons YouTube TV offers:
-
4K Plus
(price varies from $5 to $20 per month):
Stream supported 4K content and watch DVR recordings offline on your mobile devices. Another benefit is that it removes the restriction of simultaneous streaming on three devices. However, all streaming devices should be connected to your home Wi-Fi, which negates the benefit of this
feature
unless you have a large household.- While the YouTube TV homepage shows that the 4K Plus add-on costs $19.99, users have reported seeing it for as low as $4.99 per month. YouTube TV’s support page says the pricing for its 4K Plus add-on is not constant and changes depending on available offers.
-
Entertainment Plus
($30 per month): Bundles three popular streaming services under a single plan, giving you access to HBO Max ($16 per month), STARZ ($10 per month), and SHOWTIME ($11 per month). You can purchase each service separately, too. -
Sports Plus
($11 per month): Adds extra sports channels for $10.99 per month, including beIN SPORTS / beIN SPORTS XTRA, Billiard TV, Fox Soccer Plus, MAVTV Motorsports Network, NFL RedZone, Outside, PlayersTV, PokerGO+, SportsGrid, Stadium, FanDuel TV, VSiN, Fight Network, and Impact Wrestling. -
Hallmark Movies Now
($6 per month):
Offers on-demand titles from Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, and Hallmark Hall of Fame. -
Cinemax
($10 per month):
Access to the Cinemax family of channels. -
MGM+
($6 per month):
Access to a vast entertainment library with titles like
James Bond
,
Godfather of Harlem
,
Creed
, and more. -
FOX Nation
($6 per month):
An entertainment streaming service from FOX News to watch original shows and stories that celebrate America. -
ScreenPix
($3 per month):
A collection of classic movies and access to four ScreenPix channels. -
CuriosityStream
($3 per month):
Packs documentaries on travel, automobiles, architecture, and more. -
AMC+
($8 per month):
Includes ad-free content from AMC, Sundance Now, Shudder, and early access to bonus content. -
Shudder
($6 per month):
A vast library of horror, thriller, and supernatural movies. -
Sundance Now
($7 per month):
Access to exclusive thrillers, crime stories, and drama. -
Acorn TV
($7 per month):
Packs popular titles like
Best Of Agatha Christie
,
Hamish MacBeth
,
Midsomer Murders
, and other world-class mysteries. -
IFC Films Unlimited
($6 per month):
Access to an on-demand and ad-free collection of independent films and documentaries. -
ALLBLK
($6 per month):
Ideal for African-Americans with a vast library of feature films, comedy, and documentaries. -
Docurama
($5 per month):
A one-stop solution for high-quality documentaries on-demand. -
CONtv
($5 per month):
The go-to streaming service for all things fandom. -
Dove
($5 per month):
Shows curated entertainment content for all family members. -
Law & Crime
($2 per month):
Ideal for courtroom drama and legal stories. -
UP Faith & Family
($6 per month): The perfect streaming service for family entertainment. -
Fandor
($4 per month):
An excellent library with award-winning movies, independent files, and more. -
Screambox
($5 per month):
Perfect for watching chilling terror content on the go. -
Comedy Dynamics
($5 per month):
The go-to streaming service for comedy shows and classic performances. -
Outside Features
($2 per month):
Access to on-demand adventurous sports like surfing, skiing, biking, and more. -
VSiN
($4 per month):
A dedicated sports betting network to improve your betting odds. -
MyOutdoorTV
($10 per month):
A popular streaming service with 20,000+ episodes of fishing and shooting content. -
MovieSphere
($5 per month):
The go-to place for watching cult classics and blockbuster movies. -
The Great Courses
($8 per month): Expand your knowledge with content-rich courses. -
RCN Total
($5 per month):
Access to on-demand channels in popular categories. -
ATRESplayer
($5 per month):
Offers on-demand Spanish content from Atresmedia. -
Dekkoo
($10 per month):
Ideal for gay men to watch gay movies and short films. -
Tastemade+
($3 per month):
24/7 access to food and travel documentaries. -
ViX Premium
($7 per month):
On-demand access to the ViX Premium library of channels. -
Magnolia Selects
($5 per month):
A hand-picked collection of films and TV series from Magnolia Pictures. -
Topic
($6 per month):
True crime drama and political thrillers from more than 40 countries. -
Here TV
($8 per month):
America’s biggest LGBTQ+ subscription channel. -
Gaia
($12 per month):
8,000+ original shows, yoga, and meditation classes. -
Classica
($7 per month):
Ideal for classical music, opera, and ballet. -
Magellan TV
($6 per month):
A long list of documentaries in different categories like Nature, Science, Space, True Crime, and more. -
Qello Concerts
($8 per month):
A large collection of music performances and concerts. -
Hopster Learning
($5 per month):
Perfect for little ones that strike a balance between education and fun shows. -
Hi-YAH!
($4 per month):
The go-to streaming service for martial arts and action movies. -
MHz Choice
($8 per month):
A large collection of dramas and mystery movies. -
PokerGO
($15 per month):
A poker streaming service that includes events like U.S. Poker Open, Australian Poker Open, British Poker Open, and more.
You can purchase these add-ons during YouTube TV checkout. Most add-ons come with a 7-day or 14-day free trial.
YouTube TV channels
YouTube TV gives you access to 100+ TV channels and is the largest channel library of all the live TV streaming services. The base plan of YouTube TV includes channels from ABC, CBS, Fox, BBC, CNN, CNBC, and more. Network channels AMC+, MGM+, NFL RedZone, and more, are available as add-ons. We curated the list alphabetically, so you can easily search for your favorite channel on the service.
The list below was updated in July 2023. The number of channels may differ depending on your location. To check the complete list of channels for YouTube TV in your area, visit the
YouTube TV homepage
and enter your ZIP code to check the available channels.
- ABC, ABC News Live, ACCN, AMC, Adult Swim, Animal Planet
- BBC America, BBC World News, BET, BET Her, BTN, Bravo
- Cartoon Network, CBS, CBS Sports, Cheddar News, Cheddar Business, CMT, CNBC, CNN, Comedy Central, Comedy.TV, Court TV, Cozi
- Dabl, Discovery Channel, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, DocuDrama
- E!, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN News, ESPN U
- Food Network, Fox, Fox Business, Fox News, Fox Soul, Fox Sports 4K, Fox Sports Plus 4K, Fox Weather, Freeform, FS1, FS2, FX, FXM, FXX
- Galavisión, Get TV
- Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Drama, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, HGTV, HLN, HSN
- ID, IFC, ION
- JusticeCentral.TV
- LiveNOW, Local Now
- MotorTrend, MSNBC, MTV, MTV Classic, MTV2
- Nat Geographic, Nat Geographic Wild, NBA TV, NBC, NBC Golf Channel, NBC News Now, NBC Sports 4K, NBCLX, NewsNation, NFL Network, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Nick Toons
- OWN, Oxygen, Oxygen True Crime
- Paramount, PBS, PBS Kids, Pop
- QVC
- Recipe.TV
- SEC Network, Smithsonian Channel, Start TV, Sundance TV, SyFy
- TBS, Telemundo, The Weather Channel, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, truTV, Trvl Channel, TV Land, TYT Network
- Universal Kids, Univision, USA
- VH1
- WE TV
- YouTube Originals
In the past, YouTube TV has been in dispute with media houses like Disney and NBC Network to keep their channels on the streaming service. Although Google managed to keep Disney and NBC channels on YouTube TV, you can’t completely rule out a similar scenario in the future.
YouTube TV sports and seasonal packages
The biggest upcoming add-on for NFL fans is the NFL Sunday Ticket, which is now available on YouTube TV for $299. The NFL Sunday Ticket is available as a standalone package or as a part of a YouTube TV bundle.
Apart from the Sports Plus plan, you can include these sports packages as add-ons:
-
NBA League Pass
($15 per month): Watch out-of-market NBA games from every team for the entire season. -
WNBA League Pass
($8 per month or $25 for the entire season): Stream all out-of-market WNBA games for every team.
Ways to watch YouTube TV
YouTube TV offers apps for almost all platforms, allowing you to stream live TV from anywhere. YouTube TV is available on the following devices:
- iPhone
- Android
- Chromecast with Google TV devices
- Android TV
- Vizio SmartCast TVs
-
Samsung
and LG TVs -
Apple
TV -
Amazon
Fire TV Stick - Xbox
- PlayStation
- TiVo Stream 4K
- Roku devices
- Xfinity Flex devices
- Google Smart displays such as Google Nest Hub Max and Google Nest Hub
Other YouTube TV features
Apart from 100+ live TV channels and dozens of add-ons, YouTube TV has several features to level up your streaming experience. Let’s have a quick look at them.
Unlimited DVR storage
While most streaming services charge an extra fee for DVR storage, YouTube TV packs unlimited DVR space with its Basic plan. It’s a must-have add-on for those with a busy schedule and those who want to watch the content later on the weekend. YouTube TV records content with ads, but you can forward them while watching. You can keep your recorded content for up to nine months.
Simultaneous connections
You can stream YouTube TV on up to three devices at a time. You get unlimited streams on the home network if you purchase the 4K Plus add-on. YouTube TV also supports six profiles to get curated recommendations based on your preference.
Voice control
If you own one of the Google Home speakers, use voice controls to open a specific channel, show, or episode on YouTube TV.
Picture-in-picture mode
This one is limited to Android and iPhone only. Similar to YouTube and other streaming apps, YouTube TV supports picture-in-picture mode to watch your favorite content in a small window while you check your email or social media.
Multiview window
YouTube TV launched multiview windows with 2023 March Madness NCAA games. It lets you watch up to four sports channels simultaneously. It’s useful when you want to watch NFL, but the little ones prefer MLB or NBA.
Dark mode
YouTube TV supports dark mode that’s easy on the eyes during night hours.
Hide channels
If you don’t want your children to explore specific channels, you can hide them from YouTube TV.
Customer service, support, and canceling YouTube TV
As it’s the case with any Google service, the company offers excellent customer support to answer your queries. You can use YouTube TV’s
Contact Us page
to get in touch with the support members. If you plan to ditch YouTube TV, you can cancel the service from the web version.
-
Head to YouTube TV on the web. Click your
profile picture
in the upper-right corner and open
Settings
.
-
Select
Membership
>
Manage
and click
Cancel membership
.
You lose access to YouTube TV content once the billing cycle ends.
YouTube TV vs. Hulu+ Live TV vs. Sling TV
YouTube TV’s website provides a comparison tool that shows how the service compares against its competitors like Hulu+ Live TV and Sling TV. As you can see from the screenshot below, while Sling TV costs less at $55 a month, you only get access to 40+ channels compared to YouTube TV’s directory of 100+ channels. Hulu+ Live TV offers more channels than Sling TV, but its offering remains subpar compared to YouTube TV, even though it costs $5 a month more. One benefit you get with Hulu is that you get access to Hulu’s original content.
YouTube also wins when it comes to concurrent streams on multiple devices. Sling TV lets you stream live TV on one device, while Hulu+ Live TV works on two devices. Compared to them, YouTube TV supports three concurrent streaming devices and up to six user profiles.
Sling TV also does not offer unlimited cloud DVR, which is a bummer for anyone looking for a cheaper alternative. Direct TV is another big competitor of YouTube TV that offers limited features. It costs more at $74.99 a month, doesn’t offer unlimited DVR, and doesn’t let you skip ads in DVR content.
Say no to cable with YouTube TV
YouTube TV is an excellent solution for anyone looking to solve their cable TV woes. You get straightforward pricing with no hidden charges, access to 100+ live TV channels, different add-on packs to include even more channels, unlimited DVR recording, simultaneous streaming on multiple devices, and more. So, cut the cord this year with YouTube TV and enjoy live TV at your leisure. Before you go, if you want to enjoy original content, check out our list of the best streaming video services.
