What Is Youtube Tv And How Does It Work Youtube Tv Explained

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 29, 2025, 8:31 AM

what is youtube tv and how does it work youtube tv explained

YouTube TV is a TV streaming service that includes live TV from 100+ broadcast, cable, and regional sports networks. When you sign up for a YouTube TV subscription, you get: You can also sign up for Spanish language programming offered through: Watch on all your devices, like your phone, tablet, computer, or TV. With a YouTube TV Base Plan, you can watch on up to three devices at the same time. Watching on a computer and a mobile device at the same time counts as two of the three available devices.

YouTube TV also includes YouTube Originals and trending YouTube videos. Streamers like Netflix continue to fight for dominance of original content in TV and film against the seemingly endless number of VOD platforms available today. With new apps and services landing regularly, it can be hard to tell what platforms to pay attention to. But heed our words, friends: trust in YouTube TV. Similar to Hulu Plus Live TV, Sling TV, Fubo, and DirecTV Stream, YouTube TV offers access to live local and cable only channels, as well as on-demand YouTube movies and shows. There are several other perks to enjoy too, and we’ve broken everything down in this complete guide to YouTube TV.

YouTube TV is also one of the only options if you want to stream any sort of live TV in 4K resolution. More on that in a minute, along with other YouTube TV tips and tricks. And yes, YouTube TV now is home to NFL Sunday Ticket. That’s a big deal. In a nutshell, YouTube TV is a live TV streaming service that’s available in the United States. It’s a replacement for a cable or satellite service that’s streamed through the Internet, available on phones, tablets, TV, and web browsers, and it lets you watch TV pretty much as you always have,...

YouTube TV was restricted to a relatively small number of locations in the United States when it launched in 2017. That changed in 2019 when a large expansion introduced support for all 210 markets. It has also greatly expanded its collection of channels over the years. YouTube TV now boasts more than 110 channels, including the four major national broadcasters — ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox. (Like all streaming services, what’s actually available where you live may vary a tad, so you’ll need to check your ZIP code.) Posted on March 31, 2025 by TV Answer Man in Television, youtube // 2 Comments

By Phillip Swann The TV Answer Man – Follow me on X. This is the latest in a series of articles that will explain in simple words what a new TV product or industry term means and/or how it works. Today, we examine YouTube TV. Have Questions? Ask The TV Answer Man! Have a question about a favorite show, streaming service, or new TV technology?

Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com. Please include your first name and hometown in your message. Who Is The TV Answer Man? The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered television for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch TV. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.

YouTube TV is the leading Cable 2.0 service for a few reasons. It has an excellent channel lineup, unlimited cloud DVR storage and lots of features. The biggest downside? The high monthly price. YouTube TV is my #1 pick for most people who want to cut the cord and still watch their favorite cable and broadcast TV channels. My recommendation is based on seven years of testing YouTube TV and its competitors.

YouTube TV has grown to eight million subscribers. The service has added new channels and features over the years. However, the monthly price has more than doubled. YouTube TV launched at $35 per month back in 2017. Now, it starts at $83 per month. New to YouTube TV?

This YouTube TV tutorial for beginners explains how to use YouTube TV in 2026—setup guide, live TV, Cloud DVR, pricing, and cutting the cord without contracts or tech stress. If you’re coming from traditional cable, this is usually the moment where things feel heavier than they need to. Boxes. Contracts. Fees you never agreed to. A remote with more buttons than sense.Take a breath—YouTube TV is the opposite of all that.

At its core, YouTube TV is a live TV streaming service. Instead of channels coming through a cable line, they arrive over the internet—straight to an app on your smart TV, phone, tablet, or streaming devices like Roku and Firestick. No installer. No waiting window. No long-term contract hanging over your weekend. Think of it this way: cable locks you into their system.

YouTube TV gives the control back to you. You still get what matters—live TV, local channels, news, sports, and entertainment—but without the baggage. It runs on a monthly subscription, so you can pause or cancel whenever life changes. No “hidden fees” quietly inflating your bill. No guessing what you’re paying for. YouTube TV gives you cable TV without any cables

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. YouTube TV gives you a third options between the choice of cable or satellite TV, and all you need to get started is Wi-Fi. While the service isn't exactly cheap, starting at $82.99 per month (as per the most recent price hike for new subscribers that will also go into effect for existing ones starting January 13, 2025),... With that in mind, we've gathered everything you need to know about YouTube TV to make an informed decision. YouTube TV: Starting at $59.99/month for three months, then $82.99/month

YouTube TV provides access to your favorite shows across over 100 live channels, without the cable drama. You can also record new episodes to view later and add premium channels to your monthly plan. New members can join for $59.99 per month for the first three months, after which your subscription will jump up to $82.99 per month. As flexibility has become the focus of the live TV streaming industry lately, packages built around specific programming genres or shorter lengths of time have become increasingly popular. But that is not the case YouTube TV. The largest service of its kind on the market still replicates the cable bundle by offering a healthy selection of entertainment channels alongside news and sports, giving viewers a little bit of everything.

Considering industry trends, customers might well wonder whether YouTube TV is jumping on the train of slimmed-down channel packages, or if it’s staying true to its roots. The Streamable is here to give you the skinny on which channel packages YouTube TV comes with, how much you can expect to pay, and more. New customers can save $20 per month for 5 months. Unlike many live TV streamers, YouTube TV has just one plan: its base channel package that costs $83 per month. This bundle is well-balanced, with channels like Bravo, CNN, Discovery, ESPN, Hallmark Channel, MTV, Paramount Network, and many more available. No, you cannot sign up for YouTube TV by the year and prepay for your annual subscription.

All YouTube TV subscribers are on month-to-month plans, but the good news there is that the streamer will never try to lock you into a long-term contract. YouTube TV is an American subscription over-the-top streaming television service operated by Google through its subsidiary YouTube. Launched in 2017,[2] the virtual multichannel video programming distributor offers a selection of live linear channel feeds and on-demand content from more than 100 television networks (including affiliates of the Big Three broadcast networks... The service, which is aimed at cord cutters, is available exclusively in the United States, and can be streamed through its dedicated website and mobile app, smart TVs and digital media players.[3][4] As of... YouTube TV launched on April 5, 2017, in five major U.S. markets—New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco.[2][6] In addition to carrying national broadcast networks, YouTube TV offers cable-originated channels owned by the corporate parents of the four major networks and other...

Other channels initially available on the service included CNBC and MSNBC (owned by Comcast through NBCUniversal), BBC World News (owned by the BBC), Smithsonian Channel (owned by Paramount Global), Sundance TV and BBC America... YouTube TV members also received access to YouTube Premium’s original movies and series, though an additional subscription to Premium was required for customers to access ad-free content and additional app features; Showtime and Fox... In February 2018, YouTube TV began carrying the Time Warner–owned Turner Broadcasting System's cable networks (including, among others, TBS, TNT, CNN and Cartoon Network). In addition, YouTube TV also announced a deal to add NBA TV and MLB Network. With these additional channels, the service increased its monthly price for the first time in March 2018, from $34.99 to $39.99, with no grandfathering or opt-out available.[10] On June 19, 2018, under an agreement...

What Is Youtube Tv And How Does It Work Youtube Tv Explained

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By Phillip Swann The TV Answer Man – Follow Me