YouTube TV
Latest
YouTube TV drops Boston regional sports network NESN
At the end of September, a dispute with Sinclair cut off YouTube TV’s deal for Fox regional sports networks across the country, and as October comes to an end it’s also dropping Boston network NESN.
YouTube TV will let you check fantasy football scores in its mobile apps
Fantasy View only works with NFL.com fantasy leagues, however.
YouTube TV loses regional Fox sports channels
Starting on October 1st, YouTube TV will no longer have access to Fox regional sports channels owned by Sinclair. If you’ll recall, the Google-owned streaming TV service first announced that it would no longer carry Fox Regional Sports Networks back in February, because it was “unable to reach an agreement” with the broadcaster. The two companies were able to arrange an extension that would give subscribers continued access to the channels while hashing out the terms of the deal.
YouTube TV adds NFL Network to its core lineup
With football season right around the corner, YouTube TV is making some significant changes to its NFL and general sports coverage.
Fire TV better integrates live programming on Sling, Hulu Live and YouTube TV
Amazon is making Fire TV a lot more useful for live TV streaming with direct integration of Hulu Live TV, YouTube TV and Sling TV. They’ll soon appear on Fire TV’s live TV discovery features, including the Live Tab, On Now rows and multi-app channel guide with Alexa functionality.
Sling TV responds to streaming price hikes with a one-year 'guarantee'
One day after Google increased the cost of a base YouTube TV subscription, Sling TV is trying to entice consumers to switch with a promise not to increase prices for one year.
YouTube TV costs $65 a month after yet another price increase
The base plan has jumped up $15 since the last hike in April 2019.
100 million people watch YouTube on TVs each month
YouTube's big-screen audience is growing fast.
YouTube TV is adding 14 ViacomCBS channels to its lineup
Thanks to an expanded, multi-year distribution agreement between Google and ViacomCBS, YouTube TV will add another 14 channels.
YouTube TV loses YES Network in new Sinclair deal
If you were worried about your favorite Fox regional sports channels disappearing from YouTube TV, you may be in luck. YouTube TV and Sinclair Broadcast Group have reached an agreement to keep 19 of the 21 sports channels on YouTube TV. But the platform will drop Fox Sports Prime Ticket and Fox Sports West, which carry games from Los Angeles-area teams. It's also dropping the Yankees' YES Network.
YouTube TV to drop Fox regional sports channels following Sinclair dispute
If you subscribe to YouTube TV to get live sports without a pricey cable or league package, you might be in for a disappointment. YouTube TV is dropping Fox Regional Sports Networks (including the New York City-oriented YES Network) on February 29th after it was "unable to reach an agreement" with Sinclair to continue carrying the channels. While the company didn't say just what the points of contention were when asked by Engadget, it pointed to its attempt to balance the climbing costs of sports broadcasting with its desire to deliver a good value to subscribers. You can read its full on-the-record statement below.
HBO and HBO Max are coming to YouTube TV
Google and WarnerMedia have signed a deal to bring HBO, Cinemax and HBO Max to YouTube TV this spring. WarnerMedia's other cable networks will also stay on YouTube's streaming TV service, on which they've been available since 2018.
YouTube TV won't work with App Store subscriptions after March 13th
Starting on March 13th, Google will no longer allow people to subscribe to YouTube TV through the App Store. In an email obtained by MacRumors, the company says not only will it stop accepting new App Store subscriptions next month, but it will also cancel any existing ones at around the same time.
Google Fiber stops offering traditional TV service to new customers
If you're ready to sign up for Google Fiber but want TV service at the same time, you'll have to go online. Google has stopped selling conventional TV service to new customers as of today. Instead, it'll give customers the choice to sign up for YouTube TV (as announced in December) or the sports-oriented fuboTV. The company characterizes this as reflecting the modern reality. "Customers just don't need traditional TV," Google said.
YouTube Premium and Music have 20 million subscribers
It's now clearer just how YouTube's streaming services stack up against rivals. Alphabet chief Sundar Pichai revealed during the company's latest earnings call that YouTube Premium and Music have a combined 20 million subscribers as of the fourth quarter of 2019. That's a far cry from Spotify's 113 million paying users (as of September 2019) and Apple Music's 60 million (as of June 2019), but still makes YouTube one of the bigger music providers assuming Premium users are taking advantage of their included Music access. Amazon Music had 55 million users as of January this year, but it's not clear how many of those are paying for full-fledged Music Unlimited access.
YouTube TV arrives on PS4 ahead of PlayStation Vue shut down
PlayStation Vue subscribers have likely already marked their calendars for January 30th, the day when Sony will pull the plug on its live TV service. But the death of Vue doesn't mean PS4 users will have to move to different hardware for their live and on-demand fix, as YouTube TV is now available on the console. The service has a solid lineup of channels and DVR functions for $50 a month -- the same price as Vue's cheapest bundle -- so the transition from Sony's service to Google's could be a relatively painless one.
YouTube TV's Live Guide now shows week-long schedules on desktop
YouTube TV's Live Guide for the web is now much more useful for your holiday entertainment planning: It now shows seven days of programming schedules instead of only telling you what's currently airing like it used to. The over-the-top internet television service's Twitter account says YouTube TV implemented the change after listening to user feedback, and that the guide now also features a "fresh new look."
PBS is now available on YouTube TV
It took a few months to become a reality, but PBS channels are now available on YouTube TV. Over 100 member stations for PBS and PBS Kids are streaming live (the mix depends on where you live, of course), with on-demand content also on-hand if you can't tune into broadcasts. More stations should be available sometime in 2020.
PlayStation Vue is the canary in the cord-cutting coal mine
We knew this day would come. Sony will officially shut down PlayStation Vue on January 30th, 2020, following days of rumors and years of whispers about the longevity of the on-demand, OTT television service. PlayStation Vue offers a mix of live and streaming video starting at $50 a month, and it's currently used in 500,000 households in the United States, according to The Information. By comparison, Netflix has more than 158 million subscribers.
YouTube TV is now available on Amazon Fire TV devices
Google and Amazon don't have the warmest relationship, but they've been patching things up recently. Amazon reinstated support for YouTube on its Fire TV platform in July, while Google enabled Amazon Prime video streaming through Chromecast devices. In the latest development, YouTube TV is available on Amazon's Fire TV platform, meaning users can stream live television and use an unlimited cloud-based DVR.
