YouTube TV is an American streaming television service operated by YouTube, a wholly owned subsidiary of Google. Announced on February 28, 2017, 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 (such as ABC, NBC and CBS), Fox, The CW and PBS in most markets) and over 30 OTT-originated services, as well as a cloud-based DVR.
The service, which is aimed at cord cutters, is available only in the United States, and can be streamed through its dedicated website and mobile app, smart TVs and digital media players. Since 2017, YouTube TV has served as the presenting partner of the World Series and the NBA Finals. As of , YouTube TV has over five million subscribers.
History
2017–2018
YouTube TV launched on February 28, 2017, in five major U.S. markets—New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco. 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 media companies. Other channels initially available on the service included CNBC, MSNBC, BBC World News, Smithsonian Channel (a venture of Showtime Networks and the Smithsonian Institution), Sundance TV (owned by AMC Networks), numerous sports channels, Disney Channel (owned by The Walt Disney Company), and BBC America (jointly owned by AMC Networks and BBC Studios).
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 Soccer Plus were also purchasable as optional premium add-ons for an extra fee. Also in 2017, YouTube added MLB Network, and entered into regional streaming rights deals with two Major League Soccer clubs, Seattle Sounders FC and Los Angeles FC.
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. On June 19, 2018, under an agreement with Lionsgate, YouTube TV began offering Starz as a premium add-on, containing linear feeds of the six Starz and eight Starz Encore channels.
2019–2020
The service expanded to cover 98% of U.S. households by January 2019. In March 2019, YouTube TV launched in Glendive, Montana, thus making the service available in all 210 American television markets. On April 10, 2019, YouTube TV added nine networks owned by Discovery, Inc. (including Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Animal Planet and OWN), bringing the service's lineup up to 70 channels. The service concurrently announced a second monthly price increase, from $39.99 to $49.99, without grandfathering existing customers or allowing them to opt out. On April 12 of that year, YouTube TV reached an agreement with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to offer its Epix (now MGM+) premium service as an add-on.
In July 2019, at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour in Pasadena, California, YouTube TV announced it had signed a multi-year deal with PBS to allow carriage of live streams of the public broadcaster's member stations and PBS Kids Channel beginning as early as the fourth quarter of 2019. On December 15, 2019, the first PBS affiliate stations were added to YouTube TV. On February 20, 2020, YouTube TV reached an agreement with WarnerMedia (now Warner Bros. Discovery) to carry HBO and Cinemax as add-ons, and allowing access to the conglomerate's HBO Max streaming service, which launched on May 20 of that year, with a containing HBO subscription. (Customers who subscribe to the HBO add-on can access content within the HBO Max app using their YouTube TV/Google account credentials.) The additions of HBO and Cinemax resulted in YouTube TV becoming the first American vMVPD service to offer all five major premium channels as add-ons.