In February, we reported that Google and YouTube were planning to launch a new video service called YouTube TV that would let subscribers stream live content from a whole bunch of TV networks, record as many things as they want, and watch YouTube Red’s premium content all for a monthly fee. Now, YouTube’s core audience of cord-cutting millennials who can’t afford pricey cable packages can now see all of the shows they’ve been missing, because YouTube TV is now available in a handful of cities around the country.
Subscribers can get a free one-month trial, with subsequent months costing $35, and YouTube will even throw in a free Google Chromecast for a limited time. For that money, you get “cloud-based DVR without storage space limits,” six separate accounts per household, and the ability to stream on phones, tablets, computers, and TVs. At this point, YouTube TV includes 40 channels, including ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, The CW, ESPN, USA, FX, FXX, Freeform, E!, Bravo, a few sports channels, Syfy, and a couple of news networks. If that’s not enough, though, a press release teases that BBC America, AMC, IFC, and a few others are on the way.
Unfortunately, the downside of all of this is that YouTube TV isn’t available everywhere yet, so you can only get it in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and Philadelphia for now. Anyone living in the rest of the country can go to this link and type in your zip code to be notified of when the service is available in your area, but there’s no information on when more cities will be added.
You can see the full list of included channels, get more information, and sign up at this link.