YouTube TV it's my number one pick for people who want to cut the cable TV cord and still
watch their favorite channels but after a recent price hike is YouTube TV still worth it hey it's
Michael here welcome to the channel and there are really a few reasons why I've recommended YouTube
TV especially for first time streamers the service has a well-rounded channel lineup unlimited Cloud
DVR storage no equipment no contracts and no hidden fees and the interface it's pretty easy
to use those are the pros but there are some cons to consider and I'm going to share it all in my
updated YouTube TV review let's get started with more on the pricing I've been testing YouTube TV
since nearly the beginning the service was only 35 bucks a month when it launched back in 2017
but now that price it's more than doubled YouTube TV raised the base plan price to 72.99 a month in
March 2023 an eight dollar a month increase and YouTube TV's first price hike in nearly three
years some users will actually pay less and that's because YouTube TV lowered the price of its 4K
plus add-on by 10 bucks a month the add-on is also available at a discounted price 4.99 a month for
a year now many YouTube TV users are going to be fine with that base plan and no additional add-ons
but there are a few popular ones like sports plus that one includes NFL RedZone and NFL Sunday
Ticket a premium add-on available to YouTube TV subscribers and stand alone through YouTube Prime
Time channels some YouTube TV users are gonna have to pay tax and that just depends on your local
tax laws but you will not have to pay any hidden fees I wanted to show you this Xfinity cable bill
I've highlighted nearly 50 dollars in additional monthly charges but with YouTube TV you don't have
to pay extra fees for equipment DVR or broadcast TV channels plus you can cancel at any time there
are no annual contracts after this latest increase YouTube TV price is pretty much in line with a few
of the other major premium live TV services those include Hulu live DirecTV stream and
fubotv but sling TV is priced lower and I'm going to talk more about alternatives to YouTube TV and
ways to save later in this video when YouTube TV raised its price the company said it was because
the rising cost of content so let's talk now about what you actually get for your money YouTube TV
is what I call a cable 2.0 service the base plan bundles more than 100 channels including the most
popular cable networks and your local stations and the way I see it YouTube TV only makes sense for
people who watch a lot of live sports especially football and cable news networks and maybe some
people who cannot pick up their locals with an antenna too I found this tweet that really sums
it up sports events made up all but six of the top 100 TV broadcasts in 2022 that's a lot of football
there are dozens of cable entertainment networks included in YouTube TV's bundle but many any of
them are full of reruns and low budget reality TV shows and that's important to think about because
I'm hearing a lot more from people who say they're spending less time with YouTube TV but more time
with on-demand services like Netflix so ask yourself this are you still enjoying the content
on cable and broadcast TV and if so YouTube TV may still be a good value just make sure to check that
channel lineup on YouTube TV's website I'll link to it down below I mentioned earlier that there
are no DVR fees with YouTube TV but you still get a DVR it's just in the cloud the service offers
unlimited Cloud DVR storage in the base plan and recordings are saved for up to nine months with
just a click you can record shows movies games and events and watch them on your schedule if
you set a recording for a series YouTube TV is going to record all episodes so that means new
episodes and reruns there is no way to record or delete a single episode for a series and this is
one of the biggest complaints I hear from users who record a lot of shows and they want more
control over how the DVR is organized the best thing about adding shows to your DVR is that you
can avoid some commercials and cable and broadcast TV networks have a lot of commercials with YouTube
TV you can typically fast forward through the ads once your program is recorded you should know that
YouTube TV's networks also make a lot of programs available on demand you'll see them labeled VOD on
the service unfortunately these programs usually have unskippable ads to get around this just set
as many recordings as possible if you see two versions of a program in your library DVR and
VOD always select the DVR version and that way you're going to be able to fast forward through
the ads a lot of new cord cutters worry they won't be able to figure out YouTube TV because it's not
exactly like their cable provider but YouTube TV is actually pretty easy to use and you may be
able to get started with equipment you've already like all streaming services YouTube TV requires
a high-speed internet connection and a supported device you can stream YouTube TV on mobile devices
your computer or to a TV set I use a Roku device to stream YouTube TV but that is not a requirement
these are some of the other compatible streaming media players and the YouTube TV app is also
available to download on many newer Smart TVs check out what YouTube TV looks like from a TV
set there are only three main sections the home screen the live guide and the library your DVR
most would agree that the YouTube TV live guide has a cable-like look and feel and from a computer
or mobile device you can always edit the list of networks shown in the live guide so that you
only see your favorites I've got a separate video to help you create a custom live guide YouTube TV
has added a few features that really improve the viewing experience like multi-view watch up to
four channels on a single screen and even after the price increase I think this feature alone is
going to keep some sports fans with YouTube TV YouTube TV typically offers a free trial or at
least a free preview period and that should give you enough time to see if you can get the hang of
it also use this time to evaluate the picture and sound quality and if it doesn't work out you can
always cancel online it just takes a few clicks the service can be personalized too I want to
talk a little bit about that the YouTube TV family manager can share access with up to five members
as long as they live in the same household and then everyone gets their own DVR and their own
recommendations three simultaneous streams are included in the base plan so multiple devices can
be using YouTube TV at the same time the 4K plus add-on gets you unlimited streams at home by now
I hope you understand why I've recommended YouTube TV to new cord cutters but if price is a concern
for you I've got a few ways for you to save some money I'm not going to focus on Hulu live DirecTV
stream and fubotv because those Services cost 70 bucks a month or more but I do want to talk about
out sling TV this live TV streaming service has two base plans sling orange and sling blue they're
40 bucks a month each at recording time you can buy one of them or combine orange and blue for 55
a month like YouTube TV sling TV's bundles include cable networks but sling does not offer complete
coverage for your local stations that's the primary reason why it's cheaper so sling is best
for people who can either pick up local stations with an antenna or don't watch broadcast TV
anymore Philo and friendly TV are more affordable options as well but these Services Focus primarily
on entertainment networks not sports news and local stations for a few years now I've paid
for YouTube TV during the winter and then switched to sling TV to save money during the summer when
I'm watching less television that is an easy way to put more money back in your pocket but here's
a better way if you find yourself spending more time with services like Netflix and less time with
services like YouTube TV think about dropping live TV altogether even if it's just for a month or two
plenty of people are perfectly happy hooking up an antenna for local stations downloading
free ad supported streaming services and then paying only for Netflix give this video a like
if you found it helpful and leave a comment below to add to my YouTube TV review thanks for watching