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YouTube TV’s contractless service, lack of credit checks, flexibility over suspension, and resumption of service without fines and absence of equipment or installation fees certainly makes it attractive to cord-cutters. When compared to a typical cable TV channel package, many people would prefer this solution.
There are more live TV streaming services in the market and the price of YouTube TV is higher than the rates offered by some of the other providers in the sector. YouTube TV offers very high-quality programming. Its base package includes some very desirable channels, such as Disney and ESPN, which many cable TV companies and rival live TV streaming services shunt off into premium add-on packages. New cord-cutters should shop around and investigate one or two other live TV streaming services before committing fully to YouTube TV.
YouTube TV overview
YouTube TV is a cord-cutting video streaming service that delivers live TV to subscribers. This is not the same category of streaming service that on-demand video libraries offer. The on-demand type of video streaming service is currently more widely used than live TV streaming services. The major providers in the on-demand category are Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, and Hulu.
Hulu actually fits into both categories because it offers on-demand libraries with its standard service and also offers a live TV streaming service with the add-on service Hulu Live TV. YouTube is also an on-demand video streaming service. It is free and it offers user-generated content for free. The service is owned by Google and it has developed a number of paid variations to try to generate an income out of the brand.
One of the paid versions of YouTube is YouTube Originals. This is an ad-free version of the YouTube on-demand streaming service that includes access to professionally created content. YouTube TV is a cable TV replacement service. It offers the same type of TV channel package as the cable TV system offers, only it delivers its content over the internet rather than over its own proprietary network of cable.
The main rivals to YouTube TV are Hulu + Live TV, which is the market leader, and Sling TV, which currently has the number two slot. YouTube TV has the third largest subscriber base among live TV streaming services in the United States. Other providers in this market are fuboTV, Philo, and AT&T TV Now. One more major name in the streaming industry was PlayStation Vue, but this has recently closed down.
YouTube TV and its main live TV streaming service rivals are good options for cord-cutters. Internet-delivered TV offers greater flexibility than traditional cable TV services and requires no contract or upfront installation costs. The channel lineup of YouTube TV is very similar to a traditional cable TV service and gives access to many of the same TV shows.
YouTube TV content
The base package of YouTube TV is a bundle of 70 TV channels. These can be added to with premium add-on channels and packages.
Base package channels
All of the big networks that are made up of local channels are included in the package. These are:
- ABC
- NBC
- CBS
- Fox
Other general entertainment TV channels included in YouTube TV are:
- AMC
- BBC America
- TLC
- USA Network
- Bravo
- Sundance TV
- Food Network
- HGTV
- Discovery Channel
- Animal Planet
- Freeform
- PBS
- Telemundo (Spanish language)
- Universo (Spanish language)
MTV and VH1 are not currently included in the YouTube TV package. However, these will be added on later in 2020, as will BET, Comedy Central, CMT, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, and TV Land.
News channels
The YouTube TV base package includes the following news channels:
- CNN
- CNBC
- MSNBC
- Fox News
- BBC World News
- Cheddar
Children’s TV channels
The big children’s TV channels included with YouTube TV are:
- The Disney Channel
- Disney Junior
- Disney, XD
- Universal Kids
- Cartoon Network
- PBS Kids
Sports channels
YouTube TV has a very strong channel lineup for sports programming including access to the regional sports networks. It also includes:
- TBS
- TNT
- ESPN
- ESPN2
- ESPNU
- Fox Sports 1
- Fox Sports 2
- CBS Sports Network
- NBC Sports Network
- Golf Channel
- Tennis Channel
- NBA TV (but not NBA League Pass)
- NFL Network
- MLB Network
Add-on channels
Customers of YouTube TV can choose to add-on:
- An EPIX movie channel bundle that includes four channels
- Showtime
- Starz
- Sundance Now
- Shudder
- Fox Soccer Plus
YouTube TV UX
The look-and-feel of the YouTube TV home screen and menus is very similar to the themes used for YouTube.
Simultaneous streams
Each YouTube TV account includes the right to three simultaneous streams. That means that three family members can be watching different shows on different devices at the same time. Those devices don’t even have to be in the same location, which enables a commuting family member to watch the service on a mobile device while traveling to work without having to tell the folks back home to turn the TV off.
Profiles
Profiles are implemented by registering individual Google accounts within the YouTube TV system. This is called the Family Sharing feature and it creates separate profiles. Up to five profiles can be created on each account.
The home screen
The user is presented with a scrollable series of horizontal category lines, each line is made up of a row of video images, which are the title screens of the TV show it represents. The strap of icons includes a live TV line where the icons are actually views of the live shows. Other categories include Catchup, YouTube Originals, and Popular Shows.
TV guide
Switching to the TV Guide, the user gets a more familiar live TV interface, similar to a standard cable TV menu. The screen is a scrollable list of channels with each TV channel row showing the current program schedule on a timeline. The row is scrollable horizontally to reveal forthcoming shows.
As each row becomes current, the first show on its line expands to a preview screen.
Details screen
Clicking on that preview gets the show to full screen. Clicking on a title that isn’t live, for example in the YouTube Originals or catchup categories, gets a details screen. This screen lists past, live, and future schedules episodes of a series, gives an overview of the plot of the series and also lists key cast members.
Usually, channel changing takes about 1.5 seconds. The live arrival of the TV shows is about 25 seconds behind the showing of the same channel on cable TV.
Video downloads
YouTube TV members are not able to download content. However, each account gets unlimited cloud DVR storage.
YouTube TV quality
Live TV streaming services have to trade off picture quality against transmission performance. An ultra high definition picture is no use to people who don’t have a high bandwidth capacity on their internet plans because the greater amount of data each frame takes to get to the viewer will result in delayed delivery and breaks, skips and hanging in the playback.
YouTube TV has gone for the compromise picture standards of 720 px and a refresh rate of 60 frames per second (FPS). This quality delivers satisfactory picture clarity and transmission service that rarely fails.
Getting constant playback of the live video greatly depends on the internet service of each viewer. An internet capacity of 3 Mbps is necessary for uninterrupted viewing. Viewers with a constant 7 Mbps should be guaranteed a faultless video stream.
YouTube TV platforms
YouTube TV is an online streaming service. Therefore, it can only be received over the internet. The video streams can play on a variety of devices.
Smart TVs
YouTube TV can be received directly by:
- Samsung smart TVs
- Vizio smart TVs
- LG smart TVs
Streaming devices
Streaming devices that are compatible with YouTube TV include:
- Roku
- Amazon Fire TV devices
- Apple TV
- Android TV boxes
Computers and mobile devices
The service can also be accessed on a computer through a browser or with a YouTube TV app on Android and iOS mobile devices through an app and then transmitted to a TV through Google Chromecast.
Game consoles
An Xbox One can also be used to stream YouTube TV to a TV set.
YouTube TV price
YouTube TV is available for a seven-day free trial. The service sometimes expands that free trial offer to 14 days during special promotion periods. The new member needs to set up an account, giving bank card details. That card will be charged for a month’s service as soon as the trial period ends. The monthly fee for YouTube TV is $49.99.
There is no contract for YouTube TV. The user just makes sure to pay for a month’s service upfront. There are no installation or equipment fees, no deposit requirements, or credit checks.
Those viewers who find themselves in tight financial straights can suspend the service and remove the cost of getting entertainment, then resume the service again just by paying for another month. There are no reconnection fees. Nor is there a minimum service period and so there are no early termination fees for anyone who wants to cancel the service.
YouTube TV reviews from customers
The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) published the ACSI Telecommunications Report every year. The 2018 to 2019 report is the latest installment available. The report includes customer opinions on the major video streaming services operating in the United States. Each service is ranked with a satisfaction rating, which is a score out of one hundred.
Unfortunately, the ACSI lumps all of the YouTube services together with one score measurement. In 2018, YouTube got a satisfaction rating of 76, when the average score across all streaming services was 75. The average score in 2019 was 76 and YouTube got a rating of 75 that year, so it was slightly below the average rating for all streaming services.
Find more information about YouTube TV here.
