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Google hopes cord-cutters will sign up for YouTube TV: 44 channels for $35

News
Mar 01, 20173 mins
Data and Information SecurityInternetYouTube

Will you be swayed by unlimited DVR cloud storage for six accounts under one $35 per month membership?

Google has jumped into the cord-cutter game with YouTube TV, offering live TV without signing a contract.

For $35 per month, you can watch 44 different channels via YouTube TV. Some of those channels are ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, CW, ESPN, Disney, Disney Jr., National Geographic, USA, FX, FXX, Syfy, Bravo, Oxygen, Sprout, E! and FreeForm. Google’s announcement included the full run-down, as well as intentions to partner with local TV stations to get local news and sports.

It’s not the lowest cord-cutter price for the same number of channels, considering you can get 44 channels via Sling TV for $25 per month. But people are watching a billion hours of YouTube per month, and Google is betting its service can compete.

YouTube TV membership allows six accounts for the $35 monthly price tag with three concurrent streams. The biggest plus is likely the fact that each of the six accounts comes with its own personal unlimited amount of DVR storage. It’s not unlimited storage forever, but it will be stored in the cloud for nine months. If you have internet access, you would be able to tap into those recordings at any time and fast forward through the commercials that come along with live TV.

Google’s announcement put it like this:

A cloud DVR, with no storage limits. With YouTube TV, you’ll be able to record live TV and never run out of storage. Your cloud DVR can record as many shows as you want, simultaneously, without using precious data or space on your phone, and we’ll store each of your recordings for nine months.

Watching YouTube TV means watching it on any Android or iOS mobile device or computer. If you want to watch YouTube TV on your TV, you will need Google Chromecast or a TV that has built-in Chromecast. Unless, of course, you want to watch NFL football, then watching on your TV is off limits due to Verizon’s deal with the NFL.

Membership also grants access to YouTube Red Originals, YouTube’s version of original shows like Netflix and Amazon Prime both offer. YouTube Red usually costs $9.99 per month. If you watch it via YouTube TV, expect to see ads.

In fact, Wired said you might not want to expect an ad-free experience with YouTube TV: “No matter what you watch or what you watch it on, you may see ads—Google, being Google, and its network partners can sell ads on YouTube TV to bring in additional revenue.”

YouTube TV will be available only in the U.S. It’s starting in the largest markets, with plans to expand to more cities across the country. Showtime and/or soccer can be added for additional fees.

ms smith

Ms. Smith (not her real name) is a freelance writer and programmer with a special and somewhat personal interest in IT privacy and security issues. She focuses on the unique challenges of maintaining privacy and security, both for individuals and enterprises. She has worked as a journalist and has also penned many technical papers and guides covering various technologies. Smith is herself a self-described privacy and security freak.