YouTube has finally announced a brand new live TV service. Called YouTube TV, the service will allow up to 6 distinct accounts to receive exclusive TV content for $35 per month. The company launched the service today from its Playa Vista office.
The service was making the rounds of the rumor mill for the past year or so. However, Google was working on it for even longer, ensuring that everything was in place when the time to launch it finally arrived. Towards the same, the company entered into deals and partnerships with various media companies to make sure that it had appealing content readily available.
The YouTube TV service has been priced at $35 per month for a family with 6 distinct. No long term commitment is required meaning that you can start the service this month, stop it for the next and restart it again, if that is what you would like to do. However, the service has been launched in very selected regions at present.
Apparently, YouTube has launched the service in areas like L.A., New York, and Philadelphia, because it can offer live broadcast feed to the viewers. Meanwhile, the company has partnered up with a wide slew of partners such as ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, CW, USA, FX, FXX, Syfy, FreeForm, MSNBC, CNBC, Fox News, Fox Business, Disney, Disney Jr., NatGeo, Sprout, E!, ESPN/ESPN2/ESPN3/ESPNU, FoxSports, FS1, FS2, and NBC SportsNet and more to ensure that users have a ready stream of content available for their consumption.
Interestingly, YouTube Red’s 28 original series are also available with the YouTube subscription. This could definitely make it more interesting to the millennials who could simply opt for the family package instead of going for the Red.
The company is also taking upon cable TV by offering users direct video recording and a storage that never runs out of space. YouTube TV’s DVR service is also capable of simultaneous recordings and every single account has its own DVR. YouTube will also be studying your TV habits to come up with the best content for you and then make recommendations. This is another edge the service has over traditional cable TV players.
Meanwhile, YouTube TV is accessible through its own application that is divided into three main parts: Live, Home and Library. Navigation is extremely simply and everything is front and center to keep unnecessary complications away. For instance, all the content that is currently being broad casted by partners can be viewed by tapping the Live tab. You can start recording anything instantaneously by tapping the plus icon on the content while it is being played.
You can also cast anything you are watching on your phone to Chromecast. Interestingly, YouTube has also connected its TV service with the Google Home speaker, so you can expect to be able to call upon the speaker to play your favorite stuff for you. The search feature on the TV app has also received a boost and users can search by themes to find shows and movies associated with the particular theme.
And — you might not like this much — Google and its partners will show ads on the service unless you subscribe to YouTube Red and are watching regular YouTube content. So yeah, the experience is going to be pretty much what your cable TV feels like, except for all the perks and add ons we mentioned above. Meanwhile, customer support is available via either voice chat or test messaging from right inside the app.
YouTube is going with a staggered roll out for now and subscribers in select US regions will be getting access to it over the next few months. And yes, once subscribed you can use Android, iOS or the web to get your favorite content regardless of where you are.
