I previously did a review of YouTube TV when I was with TeamApple News last year. However, since times have changed and that YouTube TV is now nationwide, I thought it would be a great time to review the service in 2019 since it is now widely available in almost all markets out there.
One of the first things that I do love about this service is how easy it is to use. This is crucial in today’s market where many people of many different demographics are going to live TV streaming services for their live TV, instead of traditional cable and satellite.
Although the service does have a traditional guide that you see with Sling TV and PlayStation Vue, it does have another version of that guide that stills shows what is on and on which network, so users still get that.
However, it does have a feature that Hulu promised to have when it first released Hulu with Live TV back in 2017 that I have yet to see, which is programming notifications. This means that I get notifications if a new episode of Last Man Standing or The Big Bang Theory is on. Previously, I have had to use the TV Guide app for this.
Another great feature is the on-demand and DVR functions. For any show that I add, like the ones listed above, it automatically saves the recordings or on-demand episodes on my list and then gives me an easy way to access and view them. It works very similarly to Philo TV.
The only thing that I will say that is bad about the on-demand content is that there are at least five ads per commercial break. I would say that 3-4 would suffice. Five just seems way too much.
As for channels, this is a service that is great for sports fans. It contains all of the ESPN networks (excluding ESPN Classic), FOX Sports networks (including local FSN stations but not including FCS stations) and NBC Sports networks (including regional NBC Sports networks). This makes it so that sports fan have no excuse to miss a game.
I also love the fact that it has all of my local networks such as FOX, CBS, NBC and ABC. Yes, it does not have The CW at the moment, but I am fine with that since I do not watch any of their programming. For those that do, all of their current shows are available to watch on their app after they air.
The service does have a plethora of news channels on it. No matter which way you side politically, you should be able to find something for yourself. News networks on YouTube TV include FOX News, MSNBC, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business and multiple Cheddar channels.
Where YouTube TV struggles with channels are specifically Viacom networks. It does not have networks like Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, TeenNick, VH1 or MTV. This is something where Philo, Sling TV, PlayStation Vue and DirecTV Now have been able to do well since they have Viacom channels.
I’m also disappointed in the fact that they do not have any Hallmark networks either. Although they are not too huge during this time of the year, they are pretty popular in the fall and holiday season time of the year since. Hallmark typically airs a lot of Christmas, holiday and festive movies during that time of the year.
Given the fact that YouTube TV is one of the top competitors out there, they need to be able to get channels like Viacom’s or Hallmark networks in order to compete effectively, in my opinion.
YouTube TV is currently $40 a month and (I would say) its direct competitor, Hulu with Live TV, is $45 a month. When comparing the two, I would say that even though there is a version of Hulu with Live TV that does not have commercials for on-demand content at $50 a month, I will say that YouTube TV is still better and worth watching the commercials.
Right now, YouTube TV does not have a tier for people who do not want to watch commercials for their on-demand content. All they have is the standard $40 a month. However, unlike Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV will be the better pick when it comes to choosing a service that has most, if not all of your local stations.
Overall, I’m giving YouTube TV in 2019 3.5/4 stars. For what it offers consumers and customers, it is a great buy and an excellent way of getting what you want at a reasonable price, or at least better than paying over $100 a month for cable or satellite.
YouTube TV does allow consumers to get a five-day free trial. Click here to get your own free trial of the service if you are interested. It is available on the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Mac (with Google Chrome or Firefox web browsers) and the Apple TV.
Rating: 3.5/4 stars
