YouTube TV channels, cost, supported devices and more
Want to get rid of cable lose access to your favorite channels? Then, YouTube TV might be just what you need.
YouTube TV is a cable TV alternative that lets you cancel your expensive cable contract but still watch live sports, news and entertainment. YouTube TV’s lineup of channels is one of its strongest features, and its price is comparable to competitors like Hulu With Live TV and Fubo TV. YouTube TV is also a good option for sports fans, who can catch all the NFL live streams.
To clear something up: YouTube TV doesn’t bring YouTube videos to the TV. That’s the duty of the free YouTube app. Instead, YouTube TV offers live TV, video-on-demand and a cloud-based DVR.
So what channels can you watch, what devices support YouTube TV and how does it stack up to competing cable-replacement services? We’ve put together the master guide on YouTube TV, how its programming and price stack up, and what makes it special.
What is YouTube TV, and how does it work?
YouTube TV is a TV- and movie-streaming service that uses YouTube’s clean and straightforward interface.
Available on smart TVs, streaming boxes, computers and mobile devices, it includes local network broadcast channels, basic cable networks and original web shows from YouTube Red.
YouTube TV just added improved integration with Android TV, so the content you stream on the app now appears in the Channels row on the home screen. This added integration feels like a long time coming, since Google owns YouTube and Android TV.
YouTube TV channels: What do you get?
The YouTube TV channels list includes more than 85 live TV channels, based on your region, plus content from the YouTube Originals channel. Your options will depend on your region, though, as New Yorkers get a directory of 59 networks, including local network affiliates.
YouTube TV had one big gap: the channels from ViacomCBS. Fortunately, that just changed: 8 ViacomCBS channels (BET, CMT, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, TV Land and VH1) just arrived on YouTube TV — and more are coming soon.
YouTube TV’s more popular channels include AMC, Bravo, FX and USA. It also offers a wide array of 24-hour news networks, including BBC World News, CNBC, Fox News and MSNBC. YouTube TV’s latest channels include CNN, TNT, Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, truTV and Turner Classic Movies. Along with YouTube TV’s April 2019 price hike, the streaming service added 10 new channels including Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, and MotorTrend. Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network is coming later this year.
To see what networks are available in your area, you’ll need to pretend that you’re signing up here. Before you enter your credit card information, the site will show you the channels specific to your region.
Here’s the full list of YouTube TV channels, before factoring additional options and localization. We just found out that YouTube TV is losing the Tennis Channel — and that users will lose all recorded content from the service.
- ABC
- CBS
- FOX
- NBC
- ACCN
- AMC
- Adult Swim
- Animal Planet
- BBC
- BBC World News
- BET
- BTN
- Bravo
- CBS Sports
- CMT
- CNBC
- CNBC World
- CNN
- Cartoon Network
- Cheddar Big News
- Cheddar Business
- Cheddar News
- Comedy Central
- Cozi TV
- Discovery
- Disney
- Disney Junior
- Disney XD
- E!
- ESPN
- ESPN 2
- 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
- MTV
- MyNetworkTV
- NBA TV
- NBC Sports
- NBC Universo
- NBCSN
- NECN
- NESN
- NFL Network
- NatGeo Wild
- National Geographic
- Newsy
- Nickelodeon
- Paramount Network
- Olympics Channel
- Orlando City
- Oxygen
- POP
- SEC ESPN Network
- SNY
- Smithsonian Channel
- Sounders FC
- StartTV
- SundanceTV
- SyFy
- TBS
- TCM
- TLC
- TNT
- TYT
- Tastemade
- Telemundo
- The CW
- Travel Channel
- TruTV
- TV Land
- USA
- Universal Kids
- VH1
- WE TV
- YouTube Originals
- tastemade
YouTube TV cost: What’s the price and is there a contract?
YouTube TV costs $65 per month, which reflects a price hike that started on July 30. It was formerly $50 per month. Hulu with Live TV also upped its price to $65 per month, but still offers 20 fewer channels than YouTube TV (though it’s got its own exclusive original shows).
As we’ve noticed, though, YouTube TV and Hulu Live TV’s price hikes are far from where cable prices currently sit. We were worried this was going to happen. YouTube TV’s gains of Viacom channels, including Comedy Central and VH1 weren’t going to be free.
Past price hikes, just like today’s change, were timed with content additions. When YouTube TV got Turner channels in 2018, it went up by $5, and the 2019 addition of local channels and Discovery channels saw a price jump of $10.
Could we see a more affordable tier in the future? YouTube TV, according to a YouTube.com blog post, could get other options (making it more similar to the customizable Sling TV), as the company notes “we are working to build new flexible models for YouTube TV users.”
You can try out YouTube TV for seven days before you’re charged. And because there’s no contract for the service, you can cancel at any time.
MORE: The One Trick Everyone Needs for Canceling Free Trials
Adding on Showtime costs $7 per month currently, while Fox Soccer Plus costs $15 per month, Shudder and AMC cost $5 per month each, Sundance Now is $7 per month, Starz costs $9 a month, and Curiosity TV is available for an extra $3. Optional sports add-ons include NBA League Pass $40. MLB.TV was reportedly coming to YouTube TV, too, but it’s not available as of this writing. As part of recent changes at YouTube TV, Epix is now available as a $6 monthly add-on.
What’s new in YouTube TV?
As detailed below, YouTube TV is getting a whole lot of sports for the fall. The NFL Network is now a part of the standard YouTube TV package and NFL RedZone is a part of a new Sports Plus add-on pack.
Adding more pigskin content on top of that, YouTube TV’s adding Fantasy View. No, it’s not a way to imagine you’re in an alternate reality that wasn’t ravaged by COVID-19. YouTube TV’s Fantasy View gives you the ability to check your fantasy team’s performance while you watch. The only catch? It’s for NFL.com fantasy teams only — so Yahoo and ESPN and so on don’t play.
How many people does a subscription cover, and how many can stream at once?
Each YouTube TV subscription allows for up to six separate user accounts, so each viewer can create a unique profile for customized suggestions and private DVR libraries. Up to three accounts can stream content simultaneously.
Where is YouTube TV available?
While it took a while to roll out around the country, YouTube TV is now available in every television market in the U.S. This expansion completed with Glendive, Montana, according to a tweet from YouTube TV.
Which streaming devices work with YouTube TV?
You can watch YouTube TV, though, via Chromecast and Xbox One consoles. YouTube TV is also available on Android, iOS, laptops and desktops.
One of the biggest issues with YouTube TV was its limited number of supported streaming devices, a problem it is slowly remedying. Back in February 2018, YouTube TV apps landed on Apple TV boxes and Roku TVs and other Roku devices, including the Express, Ultra and Stick.
YouTube TV is also on Amazon’s Fire TV devices, arriving in the aftermath of a corporate spat where Google and Amazon limited how their devices and platforms were being used by the other. In July, YouTube TV gained greater integration with Fire TV, landing in multiple tabs on the home screen, including the Live and On Now rows, as well as Recent. Competitor Sling TV has been there for months, and Hulu with Live TV is coming in the coming weeks.
Can I get YouTube TV on my smart TV?
TV sets running the Android TV operating system can download a YouTube TV app. Select LG, Samsung, Vizio, Sharp, Hisense and Sony smart TVs from 2014 and 2015 should be getting YouTube TV “soon,” according to YouTube. For a full list of supported devices, click here.
Can you watch live TV on YouTube TV? How about local channels?
Yes. YouTube TV’s major function is its ability to serve up livestreams of cable TV channels. In New York City, for example, YouTube TV offers a selection of local networks (ABC 7, CBS 2, FOX 5 and NBC 4), while excluding PBS.
YouTube TV’s Home tab shows you live TV options, as well as suggests top picks based on your preferences. For complete listings, click on the Live tab to see what’s streaming now, and what’s up next. Hovering over a show or event shows you a preview of the content.
What sports does YouTube TV offer?
YouTube TV offers a fair lineup of sports networks, with four ESPN channels, The Big Ten Network, CBS Sports, NBC Sports, The Tennis Channel, the SEC Network, NESN and the Olympic channel. YouTube TV also just added the NFL Network to the YouTube TV lineup on Sept. 3, in advance of the 2020 NFL season.
YouTube TV just announced its new Sports Plus add-on package. It costs $10.99 per month and includes NFL RedZone, Fox College Sports, GOLTV, Fox Soccer Plus, MAVTV, TVG for horse racing and the Stadium network as well.
As mentioned above, FOX Regional Sports Networks, and the YES Network, are leaving YouTube TV because of a contract negotiations dispute.
How can I DVR shows, and how many can I store?
One of YouTube TV’s most prominent features is its ability to save programming to its DVR library. To record a show, click its “+” button. YouTube TV will begin recording if the show is live, or save the show later if it has yet to come on.
Even better: You can record as much programming as you like, as there’s no storage size cap on what you save. The one limit you have to observe is that each program is deleted after nine months.
How good are the reviews of YouTube TV?
Tom’s Guide writer Kelly Woo gave YouTube TV a good review, giving the service credit for an unlimited DVR, local channels and its ease of use. She also noted the lack of Viacom channels and mediocre original programming. Wired’s Davey Alba agreed, noting that YouTube TV’s channel selection may not feature enough content for everyone, and gave it the backhanded compliment of being “fun, because television is fun.”
The YouTube TV mobile app drew praise from Ben Popper at The Verge, who also appreciated the unlimited amount of storage in its cloud-based DVR. Mashable’s Raymond Wong lamented that the streaming service forces you to “give up go-to channels like CNN, Comedy Central, TBS and Adult Swim.”
How do I get a free trial of YouTube TV?
When you sign up for YouTube TV, you get a free seven-day trial, provided the Google account that you’re using has never been used for the service before.
NBA diehards can sign up for NBA League Pass as an add-on. Football fanatics will notice the lack of NFL Red Zone and MLB.TV is currently MIA.
What kind of on-demand content is there?
YouTube TV also offers on-demand content for recently broadcast shows and movies. For example, only the current season of The Walking Dead and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are available. Half of Law & Order’s sixth season is available to stream now, while the rest of it will be available once it re-airs on the Sundance TV channel. The same goes for films, such as Marvel Studios’ Thor, which became available on-demand after it aired on the Syfy channel.
How is YouTube TV different than YouTube Red?
YouTube Red, the company’s other paid service, is an upgrade for regular YouTube, which strips ads from its videos. The $9.99-per-month YouTube Red also allows you to download videos for offline playback, play videos in the background on your mobile device and access YouTube Originals. It also includes a subscription to Google Play Music (a Spotify competitor).
MORE: YouTube TV vs YouTube Red vs YouTube Premium
How does YouTube TV compare to Sling TV and other cable replacement services?
YouTube TV’s clean interface is one of the best around, and none of its competitors can touch its unlimited DVR cap. And while we love YouTube TV’s growing channel list, its pricing may now be a sore spot for many.
The new $65 a month price makes YouTubeTV the most expensive live tv streaming package, $10 more than both Fubo TV and AT&T TV Now (both $55). Fubo has more than 100 channels, with a heavy emphasis on sports, while AT&T TV Now only has around 45+ channels.
Sling TV, with more than 30 channels for $30 per month, is cheaper. For more details check out our big Hulu Live vs. YouTube TV vs. Sling vs. AT&T TV Now face-off, to see how these services fare against one another.
- Pluto TV: All about the free streaming service