When you consider streaming video, YouTube immediately comes to mind. Therefore, YouTube TV, Google’s live TV streaming service, pretty much just makes sense. People who want to cut the cord and stop paying for cable or satellite are the target audience. YouTube TV provides streaming TV options in the same market as DirecTV Stream, Sling TV, FuboTV, and Hulu with Live TV. YouTube TV also has a unique set of features that combine to make it quite alluring.
So much so that, as of June 2022, it had over 5 million paid subscribers—an increase of nearly 2 million since the service’s previous update in October 2022—making it the top brand in the country in terms of paying clients. Popularity is the result of several factors. YouTube TV is easy to use. It provides a channel line-up that is competitive with that of the opposition. Furthermore, YouTube TV is reasonably priced. Any modern device can be used to watch YouTube TV. Furthermore, YouTube TV is reasonably priced. Any modern device can be used to watch YouTube TV. A further factor that hasn’t helped is the fact that controlling firm Alphabet has aggressively marketed it over the past few years.
Now, what exactly is YouTube TV?
Simply said, YouTube TV is an American-only live streaming service. It may be accessed on phones, tablets, TVs, and web browsers and replaces satellite or cable services. The Internet is used to stream it. Additionally, whether you’re at home or on the go, you can watch TV virtually the same way you always have from any location with an internet connection.
In the United States, just a few cities offered YouTube TV when it originally launched in 2017. Support for all 210 markets was provided in 2019 thanks to a large growth, which resulted in a metamorphosis. Its selection of channels has also greatly grown over time. There are already more than 85 channels available on YT TV, including the four major public broadcasters ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox.
Despite the name, YouTube TV is not a part of YouTube; Google oversees them as separate entities. There are other situations, though, when they overlap, like with YT Originals, which effectively just means you might watch a few shows on both platforms. However, YouTube TV is not the same as YouTube, thus two apps on your streaming apps are needed if you want to access both.
YouTube TV’s cost and add ons
At the present, YT TV costs $65 per month. Though you won’t always have to spend so much on YouTube TV. However. You can buy a variety of add-ons that contain extra television programs, motion pictures, and athletic events. You’ll undoubtedly have to invest more. The ability to watch some shows and sports in 4K on YouTube TV is a novel and important one. A second package that is available only in Spanish now costs $35 per month after the first six months and $25 per month for the duration of that period. The following channels make up it: ESPN Deportes, Nat Geo Mundo, Estrella TV, Fox Deportee’s, Cine Latino, Pasiones, WAPA América, Cine Mexicano, Sony Cine, Tastemade, CNN Espanol, Band, beIN, beIN Xtra en Espanol, Antena 3, NTN 24, Nuestra Tele, TyC Sports, Discovery en Espanol, Discovery Familia, Baby TV Espanol,
Some of the optional YouTube TV add-ons include the following:
- 4K Plus ($9.99 for early adopters’ first year; $20 per month following a one-month trial): You will be able to enjoy some YT TV material in 4K quality after the launch of 4K Plus in June 2021. This mostly applies to television shows and movies that may be seen on demand, such as What We Do in the Shadows, Struggle Meals, American Titans, Snowfall, and others. However, it truly starts to shine when live sports are broadcast by networks like ESPN and NBC. The capability to watch recorded shows offline has been added to 4K Plus. Additionally, you may watch on as many devices as you like thanks to your home network.
- With Spanish Plus, you can access additional Spanish-language channels like Antena 3, Baby TV Espaol, Bandamax, beIN Sports Espaol, beIN XTRA en Espaol, CNN, De Pelicula, De Pelicula Clásico, Discovery en Espaol, Discovery Familia, ESPN Deportes, EstrellaTV, FOROtv, Fox Deportes, Nat Geo Mundo, and more for $10 for the first six months and $15 after.
- Showtime: Expensive movies and TV shows ($11 monthly). offers a 14-day free trial period.
- Starz: Top-notch movies and television ($9 per month).
- For $6 per month, Hallmark Movies Now offers access to all of the Hallmark movies and television programs. offers a free trial that lasts for seven days.
- Cinemax offers high-end movies and TV shows for $10 a month. offers a free trial that lasts for seven days.
- EPIX: Expensive films and television programs ($6 per month). offers a free trial that lasts for seven days.
What can be seen on YouTube TV?
The short answer is that if you have a relatively modern phone, tablet, TV, or computer, there is a greater than even chance that you will be able to access it to watch YouTube TV. Mobile is straightforward; iPads, iPhones, and Android devices (as long as they have access to Google’s apps) can all use YouTube TV.
Even though more smart televisions are using their own operating systems and apps, YouTube TV has continued to be accessible. Native apps are available on TVs made by Samsung, LG, Vizio, Hisense, Sharp, and Sony. Furthermore, YouTube TV works with a huge selection of streaming media players. It works with the two most popular options in the world, Roku and Amazon Fire TV. YouTube TV is available on older Android TV hardware like the NVIDIA Shield in addition to Google TV and Chromecast. Apple TV is likewise supported.
With the more recent Xbox Series X and Series S models, YouTube has made the service available for Xbox One. Additionally, native YouTube TV watching is supported on the more recent PS5, PS4 Pro, and PlayStation 4. Additionally, you can use a web browser like Chrome, Firefox, or Safari to view this TV.
Roku and YouTube TV
There was a minor argument in 2021 between Roku and YouTube TV, which was comparable to David versus Goliath. The short version of the story is that there was contention about Roku’s capacity to establish YouTube channels. There was also YouTube TV, which may have been related to Roku search results, the operating system’s open-source video codecs, and possibly other things as well. On December 8, 2021, the two companies agreed to a multi-year contract, ending their conflict and retaining YouTube on Roku while returning the YouTube TV app
to the Roku Channel Store.
It’s finally over, and the whole thing was kind of ridiculous and pointless.
Features of YouTube TV
The ability to access the same TV stations you’ve always seen is the main perk of a streaming service like YouTube TV. But it’s not the only one. Additionally, you can watch movies and TV shows whenever you want. Personalized recommendations are available, which is far more enjoyable than channel-swiping. It is already a given that this TV can use Google Assistant and carry out other ridiculous functions.
Look at some of the most useful YouTube TV features that are listed below:
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Perpetual recordings
The most notable of all YouTube TV’s built-in features are “Cloud DVR.” Not just because you can; virtually all services let you “record” a show or a movie. It may also be played again at any time. For their Cloud DVR services, or at the very least for greater storage, the majority of the rival companies, however, charge more. Google, on the other hand, provides an unlimited number of recordings completely free. As long as your subscription is active, you can keep your recordings for up to nine months. That is accurate for performances, movies, live sporting events, and other occasions. YouTube TV is savvy about it as well. Most recordings go on for a minute longer than they should. Sporting events automatically record for a further 30 minutes, and this TV can even anticipate if they will go on longer and continue to record for longer.
The adverts are also accurately caught because it is a true recording and they were broadcast live. So, if you want, you can skip right past them.
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Numerous users and devices
YouTube TV is one of the more flexible substitutes you’ll come across. Up to three different devices can stream YouTube TV by default. Unrestricted streaming is another benefit of the 4K Plus add-on membership when you’re connected to your home network. Additionally, each account on YouTube TV is allowed a maximum of six user profiles. That is important because it affects recommendations for movies and TV series. Consequently, neither you nor your kids need to see the suggestions you offer. You can choose up to five more family members whose profiles are viewable on YouTube TV by connecting your Google account to YouTube TV.
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On-demand
Many of the channels that are accessible with a TV subscription have on-demand programming that may be seen after it initially airs. It may be practical to watch previous seasons or episodes that were aired before you started recording them with the DVR feature. This differs from DVR in that you cannot skip the advertisements.
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Voice order
If you own a Google Home speaker, such as the Google Nest Mini, and use a Chromecast device to access YouTube TV, you can control functions like selecting a TV channel to watch live on, starting specific shows, recording a show, or using playback controls like pause, resume, and rewind with just your voice.
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Picture-in-picture on mobile
One of the best aspects of mobile devices is the ability to see picture-in-picture. If you’re using an Android or iOS smartphone, you can continue viewing this TV in a smaller window while performing another operation in the foreground. The entire dynamic has changed.
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Jump
This tool lets you switch between various parts of some YouTube TV news programs. Similar to the key moments displayed for sports, you can skip to certain news segments within some broadcasts’ whole recordings. This feature is currently accessible through TV apps, but it will soon be accessible through mobile devices as well.
Cancellation of YouTube TV
Like other streaming services, YT TV is simple to stop using. To access your YouTube TV account, all you have to do is go to tv.youtube.com. After navigating to Settings, Membership, and Manage, click Cancel membership. You won’t immediately lose access to YouTube TV, though. You will continue to enjoy a subscription to YouTube TV on the web and across all platforms until the end of your payment period. If the payment doesn’t automatically renew after that, you won’t be able to watch any live TV anymore.
If your account is unpaid for 21 days, all of your saved programs will also be deleted.
Takeaways
One of the solutions that function well on mobile devices in some ways is YouTube TV. Taking into account how consistent the viewing experience is across platforms and gadgets On the other hand because it needs Wi-Fi or 4G to operate, it lacks the offline capabilities of other choices.
Cord cutters enjoy YouTube since there are so many channels available there. You’ll need to look over the whole list of channels that are accessible in your area to see whether it has what you’re looking for. In that case, YouTube TV might be all you need. If your favorite network happens to be absent from the list or isn’t offered, you might want to keep an eye on FuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, or DirecTV Stream.
By giving it a trial run, you can decide if YT TV is the ideal choice for your requirements. Thanks to Google’s one-week free trial, you can try it out completely risk-free without having to pay a monthly subscription cost. Just make sure you register on your desktop computer by using a web browser. You might not be able to use the trial option if you try to sign up using an Apple or even an Android phone due to a mobile problem. Starting your free trial via a web browser is a sure bet, though we’re not sure if Google did it on purpose.
