YouTube launches own streaming TV service

PanARMENIAN.Net - At an event in Los Angeles on Tuesday, February 28, YouTube announced its own streaming TV service. The offering will mix live-streams of broadcast and cable television programming with the wealth of online video found on YouTube. It’s the latest in a surge of over-the-top (OTT) services trying to woo consumers who never bought into traditional cable television, The Verge reports.

The service will exist as a standalone app. For $35 a month, subscribers get all four major networks — ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC — and roughly 35 cable channels. That price covers six accounts, so each member of the household can have a personalized account that offers recommendations tuned to their taste. The kids will have to draw short straws, however, as you can watch up to three concurrent streams at a time.

However, like many other streaming bundles, it has gaps. YouTube TV, as it’s called, will be missing channels from Viacom, including big names like Comedy Central and MTV. It also won’t have programming from Turner Broadcasting, meaning you won’t be able to get CNN, TBS, and TNT. AMC Networks, Discovery Communications, Time Warner and A+E Networks are also missing as of the launch announcement. Showtime is available as an add on, but HBO is not. But YouTube TV is throwing in originals from it’s YouTube Red subscription service for free!

No specific date was given for launch, only that it would roll out in the next few months. And the service will arrive first in major markets, meaning smaller cities may have to wait. As for international service, don’t hold your breath. There are some other odd quirks. NFL content will be available on TV and PC, but not on mobile, where Verizon has the exclusive streaming rights.