YouTube TV
Benefits
- Channels more popular than any competitor
- Stunning cloud DVR
- Excellent on-screen interface and convenient search bar
Disadvantages
- $10 upgrade doesn’t include much 4K content
Editor’s note: Although competition among wireless live TV streaming platforms has become tougher over the past year due to pricing, mergers, channel listings and distribution conflicts, YouTube TV remains a leading service as a premium service. We like its interface, reliability, and channel lineup compared to its competitors, which is why we’re giving it a CNET Editors’ Choice award in 2026.
YouTube TV has cemented its reputation as one of the best live TV streaming services available. The Google-owned platform offers a wide range of channels and is known for its easy-to-navigate user experience. These are important details to point out, given that the streamer has continued to increase its price over the years. It now costs $83 per month, more than double its original price. It may feel like the overall value of the service isn’t as clear as it once was, but it’s priced lower than its closest rival, Hulu Plus Live TV.
YouTube TV’s biggest draw for cord cutters is its sheer number of channels. It now offers 78 of the top 100 networks, the most of any streaming service, a number that includes many cable channels as well as all four local networks – ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC – and local PBS stations nationwide.
Beyond channels, YouTube TV is easy to use: it’s quick and easy on a variety of TVs and mobile devices. Its cloud DVR is also one of the best, with unlimited storage and pretty much all the capabilities of a hardware DVR. The service also offers a 4K streaming upgrade – for an additional $10 per month – which, importantly, includes unlimited simultaneous streams and downloadable DVR recordings.
The big problem is the price, and if you’re a cord cutter, the reduced price Sling TV Blue at $46 per month is the best way to save money. On the other end of the spectrum, the $90 Hulu Plus Live TV base package offers a similar mix of channels, but adding the modified Disney package, which gives you access to Hulu, ESPN Plus, and Disney Plus on demand, brings additional value. If you want to maintain a familiar cable TV experience, the myriad channels and unlimited DVR offered by YouTube TV are well worth the $83 price. It’s still a good deal for what you get.
Learn more: Best streaming devices
What do you get?
YouTube TV is different from YouTube, the free video service that has more than 2.5 billion monthly users. YouTube TV offers an experience similar to cable TV, with live channels and on-demand content available on a variety of devices. It works with Apple TV, Roku, Android TV, Chromecast, and Amazon Fire TV, plus many smart TVsphones, tablets, game consoles and web browsers.
Comparison of premium services
| YouTube TV | Hulu with Live TV | Fubo | Sling | Sling Orange & Blue | DirectTV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $83 | $90 | $89 | $46 | $61 | $90 |
| Total channels | 100+ | 95+ | 150+ | 34+ | 46+ | 90+ |
| RSNs? | Limit | Limit | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Number of simultaneous streams | 3 | 2 (pay $10 more per month for unlimited access) | 10 at home (3 away) | 1 for Sling Orange, 3 for Sling Blue | 4 | Unlimited at home (3 outside the home) |
| Cloud DVR | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 50 hours (pay $5 per month unlimited) | 50 hours (pay $5 per month unlimited) | Unlimited |
YouTube TV’s channel selection is excellent, with more channels from CNET list of top 100 channels than any other competitor (although Hulu isn’t too far behind). More channels don’t necessarily mean more of what you want. Some services, like Fubo, rely heavily on sports, while others are increasingly expensive. It’s best to check out the list at the end of this article, which compares individual channels between services, to make sure you’re getting the channels you want. While competitors offer multiple channel upgrade packages, YouTube TV includes everything for one price, with one exception explained below.
The service also includes 5.1 surround sound where available for all subscribers (most competitors are stereo only) and expanded DVR search that can now select specific sports, which is especially useful for events like the Olympics.
How does it feel to use?
Compared to some services with multi-layered interfaces, YouTube TV is quite simple. There are three main tabs at the top of the interface: Library, Home, and Live (on mobile, these tabs are located at the bottom). The Library is where your DVR content is located and the Home is where Featured and Live Thumbnails appear. The Live tab is a familiar-looking program schedule that displays current and upcoming shows. You can search for content from the top of any page, making it relatively easy to jump straight to the programming you want. Additionally, viewers can customize the live guide to display their favorite channels or sort it alphabetically or by most-watched channels.
There’s also a button at the top that lets you purchase add-on packages and rent or buy movies within the app. The search icon lets you enter the networks or shows you want to watch, and it’s worth noting that YouTube TV uses your search history to power its recommendation engine. If you wish, you can delete your searches.
You can also search with a compatible voice remote or Google Assistant. It’s easier if you have an Android TV streamer; you can also search on your Google Nest Mini and play it on a Roku, for example.
The DVR works as you would expect – both delaying live content and playing recorded shows – and the system assigns your recorded content to manageable categories, such as Recently Recorded and Most Viewed. The DVR also lets you rewind and fast-forward recordings, even those that aren’t yet finished. The Roku interface defaults to a 15-second skip, while the Apple TV’s Siri remote system is even better. You can use the touchpad to scroll through videos and it’s great. It’s so much fun and the auto-generated thumbnails make it relatively easy to jump to the part you want.
In the past, when a show appeared in a network’s On-Demand library, it would automatically replace the version in your cloud DVR, meaning you’d lose the ability to fast-forward through commercials, although Google says that shouldn’t happen anymore. Additionally, YouTube TV’s DVR isn’t truly unlimited; shows will expire after nine months (just like Hulu), which is still much longer than the 30 days you get with most competitors.
YouTube TV rolled out a multiview functionality in 2023, allowing subscribers to watch up to 4 separate sports streams on a single screen. The feature has since been expanded to include news and weather channels, with the ability to watch 2 or 4 streams at once. It works on TVs and smartphones, and all you have to do is scroll down to the “Watch in Multiview” section on the home screen.
On a mobile phone, the YouTube TV app works just as well as the TV version. I was able to filter by channel and genre to browse content, and the multiview feature is also available on my phone. If your phone is connected to a smart TV or media player, you can stream YouTube TV to it, which can be useful when you’re watching away from home. It’s also easy to download TV show episodes and movies on the mobile app and stream them directly to your phone.
Although Google used to integrate YouTube into YouTube TV – with trailers and related content on a show’s About page – that no longer appears to be the case. The company is continually tweaking the interface and we might see YouTube content reappear at some point.
Is it worth the $10 for 4K?
It depends. The $10 4K Plus upgrade could be useful if you want to stream 4K sports and on-demand programming, but available 4K content is still limited. There is a new feature that could prove very useful, especially for travelers: the ability to view an unlimited number of simultaneous streams and the ability to save DVR recordings for offline mobile viewing. If you’re a frequent traveler or subway rider, the ability to watch pre-recorded shows without an active connection is a nice feature.
According to YouTube TV’s 4K page, additional content includes shows from Discovery, ESPN, Fox Sports, FX, NBA TV, Nat Geo, NBC Sports and Tastemade. If you want to watch certain premium content (e.g. South Park), you may need to separately subscribe to premium add-ons for Max, Peacock, and other services.
The interface includes a 4K button to help find content, but right now that’s not enough. In addition to a handful of shows, there’s Thursday Night Football, “live” Premier League football, and college football on ESPN. The NCAA is adding a bunch of 4K content, but if you want football, 4K, or a combination of the two, Fubo has even more sports for a price of $90.
4K content available with the basic subscription, such as the cooking show Make This Tonight or the Basic Versus Baller travel competition, looks great, with better contrast and color than regular TV shows. For context, Netflix’s top tier costs a lot more, at $27 per month, but it offers thousands of hours of 4K content on its own, as well as offline viewing.
Think of YouTube TV as a cable replacement
When it launched at $35, YouTube TV was an extremely attractive way to save money compared to cable. But as the service adds more channels, it comes with additional costs. When you add the $83 monthly fee to the $55 you’re probably already paying internet serviceyou pay more than $130 per month. Many cable TV providers offer a TV and Internet package for around the same price.
Of course, prices vary a lot, and with cable you’ll likely have to pay equipment rental fees, taxes, and other extras. Cable companies generally reserve the best bundle rates for people who sign a contract. The same goes for “streaming” offers, such as Comcast StreamSaverwhich can be associated with its NOW TV offer. The reason you want to cut the cable in the first place remains.
Read more here: Streaming or Cable: Which Saves You More Money?
Like Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and others, YouTube TV is contract-free, so you can cancel at any time. Streaming services also have other advantages over cable. They’re easier to watch on phones and tablets, for example. At $83 per month, you’ll have to pay a relatively high cable bill to get any significant savings with YouTube TV.
Should you get YouTube TV?
YouTube TV is cheaper than Hulu Plus Live TV and is neck and neck with the Disney-owned streamer as the leading live TV streaming service, with a huge range of entertainment options and one of the best DVR/search combinations on the market. It offers more channels than anyone else and its 5.1 surround sound is ideal for sports and movie fans. If you don’t want to be beholden to a traditional cable company, this is a great alternative.
Although $83 per month is a difficult expense for some people, without a contract you are free to upgrade to a better deal at any time. The extra $10 is still too steep for so little 4K content, although the unlimited streams and DVR downloads are useful for extended families or travelers. If you want more on-demand content for your money, then Hulu Plus Live TV’s Disney package is pretty unbeatable.
Finally, if you’re a die-hard cord cutter and determined to save money, Sling TV Blue offers an attractive alternative, especially when coupled to an antenna or an AirTV 2.
Below you’ll find a comparison of the top 100 channels offered by a few YouTube TV competitors. For more information and comparisons with additional services, see complete article.
Comparison of live TV channels
| Channel | Philo ($33) | Orange Slingshot ($46) | Slingshot Blue ($46) | YouTube TV ($83) | Fubo ($89) | DirecTV ($90) | Hulu with Live TV ($90) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total number of channels: | 42 | 24 | 34 | 78 | 46 | 55 | 75 |
| ABC | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CBS | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fox | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| BNC | No | No | Yes (some markets) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PBS | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| C.W. | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes (limited) | Yes |
| MyNetworkTV | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Channel | Philo ($33) | Orange Slingshot ($46) | Slingshot Blue ($46) | YouTube TV ($83) | Fubo ($89) | DirecTV ($90) | Hulu with Live TV ($90) |
| A&E | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | $ | Yes |
| ACC Network | No | $ | No | Yes | Yes | $ | Yes |
| Accuweather | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| AMC | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Animal planet | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| BBC America | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| BBC World News | Yes | $ | $ | Yes | No | $ | No |
| BET | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Big Ten Network | No | No | $ | Yes | Yes | $ | Yes |
| Bloomberg Television | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Boomerang | No | $ | $ | No | No | Yes | $ |
| Well done | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Channel | Philo ($33) | Orange Slingshot ($46) | Slingshot Blue ($46) | YouTube TV ($83) | Fubo ($89) | DirecTV ($90) | Hulu with Live TV ($90) |
| Cartoon Network | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| CBS Sports Network | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | $ | Yes |
| Cheddar | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cinemax | No | No | No | $ | No | $ | $ |
| CMT | Yes | $ | $ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CNBC | No | No | $ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CNN | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Comedy Central | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cooking Channel | Yes | $ | $ | No | $ | $ | $ |
| Destination America | Yes | $ | $ | No | $ | $ | $ |
| Discovery channel | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Disney Channel | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Disney Junior | No | $ | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| DisneyXD | No | $ | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| E! | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ESPN | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ESPN2 | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ESPNEWS | No | $ | No | Yes | $ | $ | Yes |
| ESPNU | No | $ | No | Yes | $ | $ | Yes |
| Channel | Philo ($33) | Orange Slingshot ($46) | Slingshot Blue ($46) | YouTube TV ($83) | Fubo ($89) | DirecTV ($90) | Hulu with Live TV ($90) |
| Food Network | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Fox Business | No | No | $ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fox News | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| FS1 | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| FS2 | No | No | $ | Yes | Yes | $ | Yes |
| Free form | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Effects | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| FX Movies | No | No | $ | Yes | $ | $ | Yes |
| FXX | No | No | $ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| FOR YOUR INFORMATION | Yes | $ | $ | No | No | $ | Yes |
| Golf Channel | No | No | $ | Yes | Yes | $ | Yes |
| Punch | Yes | $ | $ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HBO/Max | No | No | No | $ | No | $ | $ |
| HGTV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| History | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | $ | Yes |
| HLN | No | $ | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| IFC | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Investigative discovery | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Lifetime | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | $ | Yes |
| Lifetime Movie Network | Yes | $ | $ | No | No | $ | Yes |
| Channel | Philo ($33) | Orange Slingshot ($46) | Slingshot Blue ($46) | YouTube TV ($83) | FuboTV ($89) | DirecTV ($90) | Hulu with Live TV ($90) |
| Magnolia Network | Yes | $ | $ | Yes | No | $ | Yes |
| MGM+ | $ | $ | $ | $ | No | $ | No |
| MLB Network | No | $ | $ | No | $ | $ | Yes |
| Automotive trend | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| MSNBC | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MTV | Yes | $ | $ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MTV2 | Yes | $ | $ | Yes | $ | Yes | $ |
| National geographic | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Nat Géo Sauvage | No | No | $ | Yes | $ | $ | Yes |
| NBA Television | No | $ | $ | Yes | $ | $ | No |
| NFL Network | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | $ | Yes |
| NFL Red Zone | No | No | $ | $ | $ | No | $ |
| NHL Network | No | $ | $ | No | $ | $ | No |
| Nickelodeon | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Nick Jr. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $ | Yes |
| Nicktoons | Yes | $ | $ | Yes | $ | $ | $ |
| OWN | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | $ | Yes |
| Oxy generation | No | No | $ | Yes | Yes | $ | Yes |
| Primordial Network | Yes | $ | $ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Science | Yes | $ | $ | No | $ | $ | $ |
| Channel | Philo ($33) | Orange Slingshot ($46) | Slingshot Blue ($46) | YouTube TV ($83) | FuboTV ($89) | DirecTV ($90) | Hulu with Live TV ($90) |
| SEC Network | No | $ | No | Yes | $ | $ | Yes |
| Show time | No | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ |
| Smithsonian | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | $ | Yes |
| Starz | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ |
| Sundance Television | Yes | $ | $ | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Syfy | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Taste made | Yes | $ | $ | Yes | Yes | $ | No |
| TBS | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| TCM | No | $ | $ | Yes | No | $ | Yes |
| TeenNick | Yes | $ | $ | Yes | $ | Yes | $ |
| Teleworld | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | $ | Yes |
| Tennis chain | No | $ | $ | No | $ | $ | No |
| CCM | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| TNT | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Travel Channel | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | $ | Yes |
| TruTV | No | $ | Yes | Yes | No | $ | Yes |
| television land | Yes | $ | $ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| American Network | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| VH1 | Yes | $ | $ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Vice | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | $ | Yes |
| US TV | Yes | $ | $ | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Channel | Philo ($33) | Orange Slingshot ($46) | Slingshot Blue ($46) | YouTube TV ($83) | FuboTV ($89) | DirecTV ($90) | Hulu with Live TV ($90) |
- Yes = The channel is available at the cheapest price level.
- No = The channel is not available at all on this service.
- $ = The channel is available for an additional fee, either a la carte or as part of a more expensive package or add-on.
- Not all channels carried by a service are listed, only the “top 100” as determined by CNET editors. Minor channels such as AXS TV, CNBC World, Discovery Life, GSN, POP and Universal Kids did not make the cut.
- Regional sports networks – channels devoted to broadcasting regular season games of particular professional baseball, basketball and hockey teams – are not listed.
