YouTube TV Review 2024: Cut the Cord with Confidence
According to CableTV.com's experts, YouTube TV is the best overall live TV streaming service out there, and we list all the reasons why.
YouTube TV’s packages are competitively priced
| Plan | Price | Live channels | Streams | Cloud DVR | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube TV | $72.99/mo. | 100+ | 3 | Unlimited (for 9 mos.) | View plans |
| Spanish Plan | $34.99/mo. | 28+ | 3 | Unlimited (for 9 mos.) | View plans |
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Depending on your area, YouTube TV offers 85–100+ live TV streaming channels for $73 a month, including cable favorites, local channels, and sports networks.
It’s a streamlined plan that doesn’t feature filler channels (music channels suck TBH) like cable and satellite TV providers.
YouTube TV also offers a Spanish-language plan that costs $34.99 a month. The standalone plan features over 28 Spanish-language channels—including ESPN Deportes, Discovery en Español, and Fox Deportes.
Bundle Youtube TV with internet for a better deal
| Bundle | Price | Live channels | Streams | Cloud DVR | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
YouTube TV + Frontier internet $10.00/mo. bundle discount |
$92.98–$202.98/mo. | 100+ | 3 | Unlimited (for 9 mos.) | |
|
YouTube TV + WOW! internet $10.00/mo. bundle discount |
$92.99/mo.—$247.99/mo. | 100+ | 3 | Unlimited (for 9 mos.) |
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Looking to save some cash? Both Frontier and WOW! offer internet bundles with a YouTube TV subscription, and they’re worth checking out if they’re available in your area.
Supplement your experience with add-ons
YouTube TV’s $72.99/mo. plan can be fortified with over 25 add-on packages from premium networks, like Max, Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, STARZ, MGM+, AMC+, NBA League Pass, and more. Most YouTube TV add-ons come with a seven-day free trial.
| Channel add-ons | YouTube TV |
|---|---|
| NFL Sunday Ticket | $349.00–$389.00/season† |
| Entertainment Plus (Max, Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, and STARZ) | $29.99/mo. |
| Sports Plus (FOX Soccer Plus, beIN Sports, NFL RedZone, and more) | $10.99/mo. |
| Max | $15.99/mo. |
| HBO | $14.99/mo. |
| CINEMAX | $9.99/mo. |
| Paramount+ with SHOWTIME | $11.99/mo. |
| STARZ | $9.00/mo. |
| MGM+ | $6.00/mo. |
| STARZ + MGM+ | $11.99/mo. |
| Acorn TV | $6.00/mo. |
| ALLBLK | $5.00/mo. |
| AMC+ | $8.99/mo. |
| Comedy Dynamics | $4.99/mo. |
| CONtv | $4.99/mo. |
| CuriosityStream | $3.00/mo. |
| Docurama | $4.99/mo. |
| DOVE | $4.99/mo. |
| Fandor | $3.99/mo. |
| Fox Nation | $5.99/mo. |
| Hallmark Movies Now | $5.99/mo. |
| IFC Films Unlimited | $5.99/mo. |
| Law & Crime | $1.99/mo. |
| NBA League Pass | $28.99/mo. or $199.00/season |
| Screambox | $4.99/mo. |
| ScreenPix | $2.99/mo. |
| Shudder | $6.00/mo. |
| Sundance Now | $7.00/mo. |
| UP Faith & Family | $5.99/mo. |
| ViX Premium | $6.99/mo. |
| WE tv+ | $5.99/mo. |
| WNBA League Pass | $7.99/mo. or $24.99/season |
Data effective as of post date.
It has all the channels I watched on cable TV for a much lower price. There's occasional buffering but other than that I'm very satisfied.
What are the downsides of YouTube TV?
YouTube TV’s biggest downside is its price. For a lot of customers, the latest price increase from $64.99 per month to $72.99 per month was a huge letdown. Basically, you’re paying the same price you would for that expensive cable TV package you so eagerly ditched a couple of years back. But YouTube TV doesn’t charge fees.
In terms of channels, we also don’t love the lack of FOX regional sports networks like YES and SNY, as well as other key channels including Lifetime, HISTORY, and VICE. However, it still has a pretty impressive lineup—see our full YouTube TV channel list for more information.
It’s also a bummer that you can’t fast-forward through YouTube TV ads while watching VOD content saved to your library. (YouTube, as always, loves its ads.) The good news is that YouTube TV usually gives you the option to watch recorded versions of the same shows and movies through its Cloud DVR, which allows you to fast-forward through commercials.
Watch 100+ channels with YouTube TV
YouTube TV’s mix of live TV streaming entertainment, sports, and news channels doesn’t look much different than a basic cable package—until you notice the lack of filler.
There’s no cable-package bloat like audio-only music or shopping networks (except for QVC), just a tight lineup of popular channels like Comedy Central, Paramount Network, MTV, AMC, Cartoon Network, ESPN, Disney Channel, FS1, FX, Syfy, TNT, USA Network, etc. YouTube TV trims the cable fat nicely.
YouTube TV also features local channels carrying ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC. Along with DIRECTV STREAM, it’s the only live TV streaming service that carries PBS and PBS Kids.
But watch out, cord-cutters: YouTube TV’s channel lineup is impressive, but it’s missing a few favorites. Networks like Lifetime, A&E, HISTORY, and VICE aren’t on YouTube TV (but you can get them on Philo, another service we like here at CableTV.com).
| Channel | YouTube TV |
|---|---|
| A&E | — |
| ABC* | ✔ |
| ABC News | ✔ |
| ACC Network | ✔ |
| AMC | ✔ |
| Animal Planet | ✔ |
| BBC America | ✔ |
| BBC World News | ✔ |
| BET | ✔ |
| BET Her | ✔ |
| Big Ten Network | ✔ |
| Bloomberg TV | — |
| Boomerang | — |
| Bounce | ✔ |
| Bravo | ✔ |
| C-SPAN | — |
| Cartoon Network / Adult Swim | ✔ |
| CBS* | ✔ |
| CBS Sports Network | ✔ |
| CHARGE! | ✔ |
| Cheddar | ✔ |
| Cheddar News | ✔ |
| CMT | ✔ |
| CNBC | ✔ |
| CNBC World | ✔ |
| CNN | ✔ |
| Comedy Central | ✔ |
| Comedy.tv | ✔ |
| COMET | ✔ |
| Cooking Channel | — |
| Court TV | ✔ |
| COZI TV | ✔ |
| The CW* | ✔ |
| Destination America | — |
| Discovery Channel | ✔ |
| Disney Chanel | ✔ |
| Disney Junior | ✔ |
| Disney XD | ✔ |
| DIY Network | — |
| Docurama | ✔ |
| Dove Channel | ✔ |
| E! | ✔ |
| ESPN | ✔ |
| ESPN2 | ✔ |
| ESPNews | ✔ |
| ESPNU | ✔ |
| Food Network | ✔ |
| FOX* | ✔ |
| Fox Business Network | ✔ |
| Fox News | ✔ |
| Fox Soul | ✔ |
| Fox Weather | ✔ |
| FS1 | ✔ |
| FS2 | ✔ |
| Freeform | ✔ |
| Fuse | — |
| Fusion | — |
| FX | ✔ |
| FXM | ✔ |
| FXX | ✔ |
| FYI | — |
| Galavisión | ✔ |
| Game Show Network | ✔ |
| Get TV | ✔ |
| Golf Channel | ✔ |
| The Great Courses | ✔ |
| Hallmark Channel | ✔ |
| Hallmark Drama | ✔ |
| Hallmark Movies & Mysteries | ✔ |
| HGTV | ✔ |
| HISTORY | — |
| HLN | ✔ |
| HSN | ✔ |
| IFC | ✔ |
| Investigation Discovery (ID) | ✔ |
| ION | ✔ |
| Justice Central TV | ✔ |
| LAFC | ✔ |
| Law & Crime | ✔ |
| Lifetime | — |
| Lifetime Movie Network | — |
| Live Now Fox | ✔ |
| Local Now | ✔ |
| Localish (ABC) | ✔ |
| Magnolia Network | ✔ |
| MGM+™ | — |
| MLB Network | — |
| MOTOR TREND | ✔ |
| MSNBC | ✔ |
| MTV | ✔ |
| MTV2 | ✔ |
| MTV Classic | ✔ |
| MyTV | ✔ |
| Nat Geo WILD | ✔ |
| National Geographic | ✔ |
| NBA TV | ✔ |
| NBC* | ✔ |
| NBC LX | ✔ |
| NBC News Now | ✔ |
| NBC Sports Network | ✔ |
| NBC Universo | ✔ |
| NECN | ✔ |
| Newsnation | ✔ |
| NFL Network | ✔ |
| NFL RedZone | — |
| Nick Jr. | ✔ |
| Nickelodeon / Nick at Nite | ✔ |
| Nicktoons | ✔ |
| Orlando City FC | ✔ |
| OWN | ✔ |
| Oxygen | ✔ |
| Oxygen True Crime | ✔ |
| Pac-12 Network | — |
| Paramount Network | ✔ |
| PBS* | ✔ |
| PBS Kids | ✔ |
| PCMag | ✔ |
| Pop | ✔ |
| QVC | ✔ |
| Recipe.TV | ✔ |
| Science | — |
| Scripps News | ✔ |
| SEC Network | ✔ |
| Smithsonian Channel | ✔ |
| Sportsman Channel | — |
| Start TV | ✔ |
| SundanceTV | ✔ |
| Syfy | ✔ |
| Tastemade | ✔ |
| T2 | ✔ |
| TBD | ✔ |
| TBS | ✔ |
| TCM | ✔ |
| TeenNick | ✔ |
| Telehit | ✔ |
| Telemundo* | ✔ |
| Tennis Channel | — |
| TLC | ✔ |
| TNT | ✔ |
| Travel Channel | ✔ |
| truTV | ✔ |
| TV Land | ✔ |
| TYT | ✔ |
| Universal Kids | ✔ |
| Univision | ✔ |
| USA Network | ✔ |
| VH1 | ✔ |
| VICE | — |
| WE tv | ✔ |
| Weather Channel | ✔ |
| YouTube Originals | ✔ |
Data effective as of post date.
*Availability varies by area.
How to watch live sports on YouTube TV
With YouTube TV, you get plenty of football (including NFL Network), basketball (including NBA TV), soccer, and college b-ball games. Overall, YouTube TV’s live sports experience is as full as most cable providers’ upper-tier packages. But sorry, baseball and hockey fans, you won’t find MLB Network or NHL Network on YouTube TV. (But you can on Fubo.)
Also, YouTube TV recently dropped all FOX regional sports networks, as well as YES and NESN. If RSNs are a must-have, we’d suggest checking out DIRECTV STREAM or Fubo.
| Channel | YouTube TV |
Sports Plus add-on ($10.99/mo.) |
|---|---|---|
| ACC Network | ✔ | — |
| beIN SPORTS | — | ✔ |
| Big Ten Network | ✔ | — |
| Billiard TV | — | ✔ |
| CBS Sports Network | ✔ | — |
| ESPN | ✔ | — |
| ESPN2 | ✔ | — |
| ESPNews | ✔ | — |
| ESPNU | ✔ | — |
| FanDuel TV | — | ✔ |
| Fight Network | — | ✔ |
| FS1 | ✔ | — |
| FS2 | ✔ | — |
| FOX Soccer Plus | — | ✔ |
| Golf Channel | ✔ | — |
| IMPACT Wrestling | — | ✔ |
| MAVTV | — | ✔ |
| MLB Network | — | — |
| MLB Network Strike Zone | — | — |
| MOTOR TREND | ✔ | — |
| NBA TV | ✔ | — |
| NFL Network | ✔ | — |
| NFL RedZone | — | ✔ |
| NHL Network | — | — |
| Outside TV | — | ✔ |
| Pac-12 Network | — | — |
| PlayersTV | — | ✔ |
| PokerGO | — | ✔ |
| SEC Network | ✔ | — |
| Sports Grid | — | ✔ |
| Sportsman Channel | — | — |
| Stadium | — | ✔ |
| Tennis Channel | — | ✔ |
| VISiN | — | ✔ |
Data effective as of post date.
How to watch local channels on YouTube TV
YouTube TV features as many local channels per region as Hulu + Live TV and Fubo, and far more than other services like Sling TV.
Depending on where you are, you either receive local stations carrying ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, PBS, The CW, and Telemundo, or a combination of at least four of them.
The CW is the least available broadcast channel on YouTube TV (and all live TV streaming services), but all’s not lost in Riverdale. Any CW series can be called up on-demand in most cases, and The CW also offers its programming for free through its own streaming app. Both work similarly; it just depends on how much app-jumping you want to do.
YouTube TV provides all the local channels and so much more. It is a good value for the money compared to cable TV.
| Channel* | YouTube TV |
|---|---|
| ABC | ✔ |
| CBS | ✔ |
| The CW | ✔ |
| FOX | ✔ |
| NBC | ✔ |
| PBS | ✔ |
| Telemundo | ✔ |
| Unimás | ✔ |
| Univision | ✔ |
Data effective as of post date.
*Availability varies by area.
What do customers think of YouTube TV?
Long story short, customers rate YouTube TV very highly in terms of overall satisfaction. In our 2024 survey of live TV streaming customers, YouTube TV came in third overall, with niche streaming service Frndly and industry heavyweight Hulu + Live TV just barely beating it out.
In particular, YouTube TV customers were very satisfied with its reliability and user experience, but they weren’t keen on its $73 price tag.
We agree $73 can be too much cashola each month for most folks, but damn, that UX slaps (more on that below). And, its price point is a lot cheaper than most traditional cable packages, as one survey respondent noted below.
Not only that, but two of the three authors of this review are diehard YouTube TV customers. In particular, our Managing Editor, Mike Strayer, prefers to watch live sports on YouTube TV over Hulu + Live TV.
YouTube TV is incredibly convenient and cheaper than regular cable. We switched to YouTube TV because regular cable was too expensive.
YouTube TV offers Cloud DVR and multiple streams
For a live TV streaming service, YouTube TV really shines in terms of Cloud DVR storage, simultaneous streams, and user interface, which makes it an exciting streaming option for TV fans who watch a lot of shows.
Cloud DVR
| Service | Cloud DVR | Offline downloads |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube TV | Unlimited (for 9 mos.) | Yes (w/ 4K Plus add-on, $19.99/mo.) |
YouTube TV gives you unlimited—yes, unlimited—Cloud DVR space. But not forever; YouTube dumps your saved recordings after nine months. Still, that’s a generous amount of space, and you can stream your recorded programming from anywhere on your mobile device.
Fast-forwarding through commercials in recorded shows is quick and intuitive, but there’s no skipping ads with some of YouTube TV’s on-demand programming. Even in the brave new world of streaming TV, you still can’t escape Swiffer spots.
Offline downloads are only available with YouTube TV’s 4K Plus add-on, which costs an extra $19.99 a month. It also gives you access to 4K content (if your TV device supports it) and unlimited in-network streams.
Multiple streams
| Service | Simultaneous streams | Upgrades |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube TV | 3 | Unlimited (4K Plus, $19.99/mo.) |
YouTube TV gives you three simultaneous streams across streaming TV devices, computers, tablets, and phones. Conveniently, this counts within the same home network and outside of it, even while traveling throughout the U.S.
Unfortunately, YouTube TV can’t be accessed internationally—you’ll just have to go enjoy the beach or the museum, instead. Sorry.
A useful feature of YouTube TV is the ability to set up individual Family Sharing profiles. In addition to the original profile (which is set up through a Google account), Family Sharing lets five more people establish their own customizable profiles through their own Google accounts. Viewing preferences, DVR, and watch history are unique, and visible only to each account.
Those five accounts will still have to share just three streams, though. Bummer.
| Device | YouTube TV |
|---|---|
| Amazon Fire Cube, Stick, TV | ✔ |
| Android phones, tablets | ✔ |
| Android TV | ✔ |
| Apple TV (4th gen.) | ✔ |
| Apple TV 4K | ✔ |
| Chromecast, Chromecast with Google TV | ✔ |
| Echo Show | ✔ |
| iPhone, iPad | ✔ |
| LG TVs (select models) | ✔ |
| Nintendo Switch | — |
| NVIDIA SHIELD Pro TV | ✔ |
| PC, Mac web browsers | ✔ |
| PlayStation 3, 4, 5 | ✔ |
| Roku Ultra, Express, Premiere, Stick, TV | ✔ |
| Samsung TVs (select models) | ✔ |
| TiVo Stream | ✔ |
| Wii | — |
| Xbox One | ✔ |
Data effective as of post date.
Despite the universality of YouTube, YouTube TV isn’t available on a few nontraditional devices, like the Nintendo Switch. But most other streaming devices are good to go with YouTube TV.
Is YouTube TV easy to use?
Channel guide and interface
Here’s a cool YouTube TV customization feature: You can arrange channels however you like. What? Brace yourselves, television traditionalists: YouTube TV, like other live TV streaming services, doesn’t assign numbers to its channels. You can, however, bring order to this anarchy by stacking your preferred channels to the top of the grid for quick access.
YouTube TV also comes with killer search capabilities, thanks to its association with a plucky little startup called Google. You’ve probably heard of it.
Video and audio quality
YouTube TV live streams in 720p at 60 fps (frames per second), the same HD quality as cable/satellite providers and most of the other streaming TV services you’re accustomed to.
Unlike other services, YouTube TV doesn’t currently stream any content in 4K HD or HDR (high dynamic range) quality (unless you buy the 4k Plus add-on). Don’t worry; the cat videos we talked about earlier still look as cute as ever.
YouTube TV’s content streams with standard 2.0 stereo audio, but Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound (the audio quality you get with Blu-ray discs) isn’t yet available with the service.
Check your Mbps: With a solid internet connection, YouTube TV streams with little buffering or dropping out. We recommend DSL, cable, or fiber internet rated at 25 Mbps (megabytes per second) or faster.
YouTube TV FAQ
How much does YouTube TV cost?
YouTube TV’s monthly membership costs $72.99/mo.. Considering you get 100+ cable and local channels with no contract and unlimited cloud DVR storage, it’s a decent deal compared to cable or satellite TV.
What are the YouTube TV packages?
YouTube offers two packages: the first is the standard $72.99/mo. for 85–100+ live channels. But there’s also a standalone Spanish plan for $34.99/mo., which provides 28+ Spanish-language channels.
How does YouTube TV work?
YouTube TV works by streaming live TV through your web browser, mobile device apps, or streaming devices.
Even though it has a similar interface, it’s different from YouTube because it doesn’t limit your viewing to uploaded videos, and it’s a paid service (100+ live channels for $72.99/mo.).
Does YouTube TV have PBS?
Yes, YouTube TV has PBS and PBS Kids.
What channels are included with YouTube TV?
YouTube TV has 100+ channels including Comedy Central, Disney Channel, SyFy, and PBS. We like that it cuts down on traditional cable bloat from unnecessary music channels, although we wish it did a little better in the way of regional sports channels. (If you want music, you should probably just get YouTube Music or YouTube Premium.) For a full list of channels, head to our YouTube TV channel list.
How much does NFL Sunday Ticket cost on YouTube TV?
NFL Sunday Ticket through YouTube TV costs $349.00 at the start of the NFL regular season. For an additional $40.00, YouTube TV subscribers can get NFL Sunday Ticket with NFL RedZone—giving you the most Sunday afternoon NFL coverage.
Why you should trust us
Our experts have logged thousands of hours of hands-on testing with YouTube TV, rating the streaming service on bang for your buck, reliability, features, and customer satisfaction. Then we matched up YouTube TV with other live TV streaming services head to head to give a clearer picture of its strengths and weaknesses.
For more information on our methodology, check out our How We Rank page.
Disclaimer
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
† Plus $72.99/mo. recurring for YouTube TV. Compatible device and internet connection required. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
