Is YouTube TV Worth It? What to Know Before Signing Up

Streaming has all but replaced cable TV these days. Still, you’ll want something other than the standard Netflix or Hulu packages if there are live shows or sports you want to catch. YouTube offers one of the most popular answers to this problem, but is YouTube TV worth it? It depends on what you’re after.

YouTube TV Pros

There are plenty of ups and downs to this service, so you’ll need to consider both to decide if YouTube TV is worth it for you. Let’s start with the upsides.

Cheaper Than Cable

The biggest benefit of YouTube TV is that it costs less than conventional cable. People pay an average of $147 a month for cable or satellite TV. YouTube’s option, by contrast, starts at $72.99 — not cheap by any means, but half the cost of the alternative.

Those numbers may seem surprising at first because cable providers’ advertised rates are much lower. However, there are two problems here. First, the lowest prices you see are often promotional offers that go away after a year or so of service. Second, these advertisements reflect the most basic package, which typically doesn’t have all the channels you’d want.

It’s worth noting that YouTube TV’s prices have gone up over time. Consequently, it’s not out of the question that they’d rise again in the future. Still, it’s remained cheaper than cable despite those price hikes, and the increases have been slow — they’re not going up every year.

Tons of Channels

Another upside to YouTube TV is that it has plenty of stuff to watch. There are over 100 channels on YouTube TV, and many are available in both English and Spanish. You’d have to pay a pretty penny to get that much from a traditional cable package.

YouTube TV’s content features a lot of variety, too. You’ll get all the major sports stations, local news channels and even niche spin-offs and affiliates of larger networks. The platform is also home to on-demand options, including older seasons of currently running shows.

As you’d expect from a live TV service, you can get more channels with additional packages. These will get you premium sports content and more Spanish-language programming.

Convenient UX

Another factor that could make YouTube TV worth it for you is its usability. While it works like conventional cable in the respect that it shows mainly live TV, it has all the conveniences of streaming.

There are three main tabs dividing DVR content, live channels and recommendations to make navigation easy. You can also search for a specific channel, show, sport or even team to find content across both live and on-demand media. In general, the app is simple and intuitive, so it won’t take much time to learn.

You can also personalize your YouTube TV experience. That may mean sorting live channels by your most-watched content, listing them alphabetically or alerting you of upcoming events. The app supports up to six different profiles, too, so you and your family or friends can each customize their setup.

DVR Functionality

YouTube TV also has an impressive DVR function. As you’d expect from a digital TV service, you can set it to record upcoming episodes or live events so you can watch them later. YouTube goes much further than that, though.

Most notably, YouTube TV has unlimited cloud DVR storage. Other providers typically let you store between 50 and 500 hours of content, which can fill up quickly if you’re saving every episode of a show. Storing this in the cloud also means you can save as much as you want without worrying about your TV’s storage capacity.

The DVR function comes with a few other conveniences, too. When you follow a show, it’ll automatically download each new episode, so you don’t need to manually record each one. You can also set it up to save all games from your favorite team, regardless of the channel they come on.

YouTube TV Cons

Of course, YouTube TV has its fair share of drawbacks. It’s important to go over these before deciding if YouTube TV is worth it for you.

More Expensive Than Streaming

While YouTube TV is cheaper than cable, it costs more than most streaming platforms. The average U.S. household spends $61 a month on streaming and gets four services for that money. These platforms may not have live TV, but it’s hard to argue with the value of $61 for four apps instead of $73 for just one.

A lot of people would agree that many of the best or at least most popular content today are streaming exclusives. As a result, despite costing more, YouTube TV may not give you the best that TV and movies have to offer.

In all likelihood, you’re thinking of using YouTube TV as en extra service on top of your streaming subscriptions. That can be costly, so it’s not ideal for all budgets.

Regional Limits

Another downside to YouTube TV is that you may run into some location-based difficulties. While the platform does support regional news networks, the same doesn’t apply to sports.

Many sports broadcasts have blackout restrictions, requiring you to have access to a local channel to view them in some markets. Professional leagues like the NFL or MLB often provide a way around this with a paid cable add-on, but the standard YouTube TV package doesn’t include these offerings.

Password-sharers may encounter some trouble, too. YouTube TV detects your location to make sure you’re in your home city when watching. It’ll let you watch from another area for a limited time, but you’ll lose access after three months. That may not be an issue if you’re just traveling, but it will stop you from letting an out-of-town buddy or relative use your subscription.

Is YouTube TV Worth It for You?

Overall, YouTube TV is worth it if you have a high enough budget or watch a lot of live TV. It’s a great platform — in fact, it’s one of the best smart TV apps — but it’s also expensive. Consequently, you may want to skip it if you’re on a tighter budget or don’t watch many live events.