YouTube TV rolls out in five cities with free Chromecast offer

Posted:
in iPhone
YouTube TV, Google's live TV streaming service, is now live in five major markets in the United States, with Google tempting users to try out its $35 subscription service by offering a free Chromecast, allowing shows to be viewed on a television instead of through the iOS and Android apps.




Announced in February, YouTube TV is available to use in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Users have to be physically located in one of those areas to sign up and gain access, as support pages advise it is due to licensing restrictions from content owners, including blackouts for sporting events.

For people living outside these five areas, the service is collecting email addresses for interested parties, for Google to send a message at a later time when YouTube TV becomes available in other markets. Residents within these markets who are outside of their home area can provide their email address for a reminder when they return home.

As part of the service's launch, Google is offering a free Chromecast to YouTube TV members, if they pay the first month's subscription after the 30-day free trial. Participants have to redeem the offer within 30 days of the payment in order to get the Chromecast, with Google also covering the shipping costs, and it is being offered while supplies last.

So far, YouTube TV will only be usable on mobile devices, with apps for iOS and Android rolling out today, as well as the Chromecast and TVs with Chromecast functionality built-in, including Android TV. Up to six accounts can be created under a subscription, allowing it to be used by an entire family, with up to three streams viewable at a time.



It was initially revealed the base $35 package included channels from ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox, as well as affiliated channels including Bravo, Syfy, and ESPN. The selection has since expanded to include channels from AMC, including BBC America and IFC, with the YouTube TV website also advising Showtime is available at an extra charge.

As part of the service, subscribers will have access to a cloud DVR with unlimited space, and will include a recommendation system using Google's AI.

Notably, customers signing up using the iOS app on an iPhone or iPad could end up paying more than the publicized $35 monthly fee. The support page advises that it is possible to sign up via iTunes, but it will cost $39.99 plus tax per month, an increase to take into account Apple's cut of App Store transactions.

YouTube TV launches in an already crowded market, with similar offerings from Sling TV, DirecTV Now, and PlayStation Vue, with services from Hulu and Verizon also expected to launch in the coming months. Google may have an advantage over its competitors, due to its extensive video streaming experience and existing infrastructure, and is unlikely to encounter similar teething issues to what DirecTV Now endured.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 14
    wonkothesanewonkothesane Posts: 1,717member
    If you can't sell it - give it away. 
    Or better, collect a lot of personal data for resale in doing so. 
  • Reply 2 of 14
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,053member
    No. Thanks!
    jbdragon
  • Reply 3 of 14
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,905member
    SLING is better offering at $25+$10 = $35. As far as Youtube is concern, at $35, where are A+E and Disney channels in package ? This you-tube Streaming offer is DOA.
    jbdragon
  • Reply 4 of 14
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,905member
    sog35 said:
    Missing so many cable channels.

    Playstation Vue is a much better deal
    Are you paid by Sony ? How Sony Vue is better channels offering than SLING ? I don't find A+E channels like lifetime,LMN, etc in Sony Vue ? Those who got on DirecTVNow band wagon in January got 100s of channels at $35 with free AppleTV or Roku.
    edited April 2017 jbdragon
  • Reply 5 of 14
    applesauce007applesauce007 Posts: 1,698member
    I now have DirecTV Now and I think I will stick with in hope that AT&T will improve the UI or license it to Apple for the AppleTV exclusively.

    I must say the that Google TV looks competitive.  It even has a 2 things that DirecTV now does not have.  CBS and DVR.  Not that I care for DVR.

    DirecTV has HBO and a bunch of other channels if you took the plunge last year.
    I'm gonna try GoogleTV out for a month.  I think the UI is better than DirecTV now and if the backend is much better?  hmmmm I dunno.

    AT&T needs to let Apple take over the UI of DirecTV now for the AppleTV. 

    Update:  Forget it.  No AppleTV App.  I already have DirecTV Now with free HBO.  I'll stick with that thank you.
    edited April 2017
  • Reply 6 of 14
    danny602danny602 Posts: 24member
    No thanks, I signed up for DIRECTV now when it first rolled out, I received my free 4th Gen Apple TV, went through the initial growing pains and now I couldn't be happier. 👌
    applesauce007
  • Reply 7 of 14
    applesauce007applesauce007 Posts: 1,698member
    danny602 said:
    No thanks, I signed up for DIRECTV now when it first rolled out, I received my free 4th Gen Apple TV, went through the initial growing pains and now I couldn't be happier. 👌
    Same here.
    3 Things I want from AT&T are:
       1.  CBS (Les Moonves needs to make a deal.  I refuse to pay 5 bucks/month for a free over the air channel.) 
       2.  Better integration with AppleTV.  (Single Signon, Station Application Support, Better SIRI integration etc...)
       3.  Allow more simultaneous streaming from registered AppleTV at subscriber's home. (4-6 would be great)
    danny602
  • Reply 8 of 14
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    sog35 said:
    wood1208 said:
    sog35 said:
    Missing so many cable channels.

    Playstation Vue is a much better deal
    Are you paid by Sony ? How Sony Vue is better channels offering than SLING ? I don't find A+E channels like lifetime,LMN, etc in Sony Vue ? Those who got on DirecTVNow band wagon in January got 100s of channels at $35 with free AppleTV or Roku.
    Sony Vue has DVR. That is a deal breaker for Sling/DTV

    I'm sorry I have no use for commercials. With Vue I DVR everything and skip all the commericals.
    Sling has DVR. 
    http://help.sling.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/How-does-DVR-on-Sling-TV-work
  • Reply 9 of 14
    karmadavekarmadave Posts: 369member
    I'm happy with PlayStation Vue's $45 monthly package. What's interesting is YouTube TV lacks support for consoles, like PS4, ATV, etc. and limited packages. Maybe this will prompt Apple to get it's act together and introduce a truly innovative TV package coupled with a 4K Apple TV...
  • Reply 10 of 14
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    sog35 said:
    danny602 said:
    No thanks, I signed up for DIRECTV now when it first rolled out, I received my free 4th Gen Apple TV, went through the initial growing pains and now I couldn't be happier. ߑ즬t;/div>
    No DVR, plus only 2 users. I like Vue better
    Wrong. You obviously didn't read my previous link I provided for you that discussed their DVR service.
    http://help.sling.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/How-does-DVR-on-Sling-TV-work

    Here's another (that you might well ignore too) explaining their subscriptions and the number of concurrent streams allowed which can be up to 4. No idea where you got "only two" since that's not in any of the options. Why don't you double-check for accuracy before you post stuff? It's not helpful when you guess but post as fact. 
    http://help.sling.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/Can-I-watch-Sling-TV-on-multiple-devices-at-the-same-time-
    edited April 2017
  • Reply 11 of 14
    mobiusmobius Posts: 380member
    sog35 said:
    gatorguy said:
    sog35 said:
    danny602 said:
    No thanks, I signed up for DIRECTV now when it first rolled out, I received my free 4th Gen Apple TV, went through the initial growing pains and now I couldn't be happier. ߑ즬t;/div>
    No DVR, plus only 2 users. I like Vue better
    Wrong. You obviously didn't read my previous link I provided for you that discussed their DVR service.
    http://help.sling.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/How-does-DVR-on-Sling-TV-work

    Here's another (that you might well ignore too) explaining their subscriptions and the number of concurrent streams allowed which can be up to 4. No idea where you got "only two" since that's not in any of the options. Why don't you double-check for accuracy before you post stuff? It's not helpful when you guess but post as fact. 
    http://help.sling.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/Can-I-watch-Sling-TV-on-multiple-devices-at-the-same-time-
    Sling dvr is not even a real dvr. A bunch if channels you cant even record like espn. Plus you only get 100 hours. Plus its still in beta and not available for Apple tv

    Your second link dont work brah. The $20 plan is only 1 user. The $40 plan is 4 users. Big deal. Vue is 6 users for $30
    Link correction, on behalf of gatorguy http://help.sling.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/Can-I-watch-Sling-TV-on-multiple-devices-at-the-same-time-13
  • Reply 12 of 14
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    sog35 said:
    mobius said:
    sog35 said:
    gatorguy said:
    sog35 said:
    danny602 said:
    No thanks, I signed up for DIRECTV now when it first rolled out, I received my free 4th Gen Apple TV, went through the initial growing pains and now I couldn't be happier. ߑ즬t;/div>
    No DVR, plus only 2 users. I like Vue better
    Wrong. You obviously didn't read my previous link I provided for you that discussed their DVR service.
    http://help.sling.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/How-does-DVR-on-Sling-TV-work

    Here's another (that you might well ignore too) explaining their subscriptions and the number of concurrent streams allowed which can be up to 4. No idea where you got "only two" since that's not in any of the options. Why don't you double-check for accuracy before you post stuff? It's not helpful when you guess but post as fact. 
    http://help.sling.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/Can-I-watch-Sling-TV-on-multiple-devices-at-the-same-time-
    Sling dvr is not even a real dvr. A bunch if channels you cant even record like espn. Plus you only get 100 hours. Plus its still in beta and not available for Apple tv

    Your second link dont work brah. The $20 plan is only 1 user. The $40 plan is 4 users. Big deal. Vue is 6 users for $30
    Link correction, on behalf of gatorguy http://help.sling.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/Can-I-watch-Sling-TV-on-multiple-devices-at-the-same-time-13
    So its $40 for Sling for 4 users at once.

    Playstation Vue is $30 for 5 users at once. Much better deal.

    Yes, Vue is missing some channels. But all the streaming services are missing some channels. But only Vue has DVR. 
    I have DVR, and I have Sling. Anyway this article isn't about Vue or Sling in the first place so let's get back on-topic.

    Google's YouTube TV is significantly different from Vue or Sling anyway, and yes includes DVR. $35/month will get programming for the four major broadcast networks plus approx 40 other "cable channels", including the all-important sports channels like ESPN and Fox Sports 1.

    And the free included DVR service? Best of the lot so far, surpassing even your vaunted Vue:
    "...Youtube TV’s DVR function offers an unlimited amount of cloud storage and will save recordings for nine months at a time. This is a compelling offer when stacked up against some of the other streaming services in the market. Sling TV charges $5 per month for 50 hours of cloud DVR storage and Sony’s Vue service offers unlimited storage, but only for 28 days. DirecTV Now currently has no cloud DVR option"

    Some TV viewers will almost certainly think it's a great deal and a good match for them, better than your Vue or my Sling. Others won't. The reasons for choosing one over another or "none of the above" will vary. 
    edited April 2017
  • Reply 13 of 14
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    sog35 said:
    gatorguy said:
    sog35 said:
    mobius said:
    sog35 said:
    gatorguy said:
    sog35 said:
    danny602 said:
    No thanks, I signed up for DIRECTV now when it first rolled out, I received my free 4th Gen Apple TV, went through the initial growing pains and now I couldn't be happier. ߑ즬t;/div>
    No DVR, plus only 2 users. I like Vue better
    Wrong. You obviously didn't read my previous link I provided for you that discussed their DVR service.
    http://help.sling.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/How-does-DVR-on-Sling-TV-work

    Here's another (that you might well ignore too) explaining their subscriptions and the number of concurrent streams allowed which can be up to 4. No idea where you got "only two" since that's not in any of the options. Why don't you double-check for accuracy before you post stuff? It's not helpful when you guess but post as fact. 
    http://help.sling.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/Can-I-watch-Sling-TV-on-multiple-devices-at-the-same-time-
    Sling dvr is not even a real dvr. A bunch if channels you cant even record like espn. Plus you only get 100 hours. Plus its still in beta and not available for Apple tv

    Your second link dont work brah. The $20 plan is only 1 user. The $40 plan is 4 users. Big deal. Vue is 6 users for $30
    Link correction, on behalf of gatorguy http://help.sling.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/Can-I-watch-Sling-TV-on-multiple-devices-at-the-same-time-13
    So its $40 for Sling for 4 users at once.

    Playstation Vue is $30 for 5 users at once. Much better deal.

    Yes, Vue is missing some channels. But all the streaming services are missing some channels. But only Vue has DVR. 
    I have DVR, and I have Sling. Anyway this article isn't about Vue or Sling in the first place so let's get back on-topic.

    Google's YouTube TV is significantly different from Vue or Sling anyway, and yes includes DVR. $35/month will get programming for the four major broadcast networks plus approx 40 other "cable channels", including the all-important sports channels like ESPN and Fox Sports 1.

    And the free included DVR service? Best of the lot so far, surpassing even your vaunted Vue:
    "...Youtube TV’s DVR function offers an unlimited amount of cloud storage and will save recordings for nine months at a time. This is a compelling offer when stacked up against some of the other streaming services in the market. Sling TV charges $5 per month for 50 hours of cloud DVR storage and Sony’s Vue service offers unlimited storage, but only for 28 days. DirecTV Now currently has no cloud DVR option"

    Some TV viewers will almost certainly think it's a great deal and a good match for them, better than your Vue or my Sling. Others won't. The reasons for choosing one over another or "none of the above" will vary. 
    Sling DVR is still in Beta brah. And it does not work on AppleTV
     
    Youtube TV is crap for sports fans.  No TNT or NBA TV so you will miss a ton of NBA games and even playoff games. No NFL channel, no NFL Redzone. Sports is really the only reason to get a live TV package. If you don't like sports just get Hulu/Netflix.

    Plus YoutubeTV does not have an AppleTV app. So that is a deal breaker right there.

    If YoutubeTV adds TNT and AppleTV support I'm 100% switching off of Vue. But till then Vue is still the best for sports fans.
    I see you learned a new mot du jour: Brah. Kinda cute, and so nice to know that you consider us friends. 
    edited April 2017
Sign In or Register to comment.