YouTube TV review: The most full-featured live TV streamer is no longer the best value

Ever had a cable bill jump by 30% in a single month? That’s what subscribers of YouTube TV are feeling now after a price hike from $50 to $65 taking place July 31. While the service did get some extra channels in the form of Comedy Central, MTV and Nickelodeon, they’re not worth another $15 a month for most subscribers. YouTube TV is still the easiest live TV streaming service to use and the one with the most channels and best features, but it’s no longer our top overall choice. That honor goes to Hulu Plus Live TV, which costs $55 a month, has an excellent slate of essential channels and includes Hulu’s vast on-demand library.

If you’re the kind of cord cutter who can stomach the $65 price, however, YouTube TV could still be for you. It’s easy to use, slick and fast on a variety of TV and mobile devices. Its cloud DVR is the best in the business, with unlimited storage and pretty much all the capabilities of a hardware DVR such as TiVo. And that channel selection is top-notch, including numerous cable staples and coverage of all four local networks — ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC — in most markets nationwide. (Editors’ note: CBS and Showtime are owned by ViacomCBS, which also owns CNET.) It’s also the only multichannel streaming service with local PBS stations. In short, you might not even miss cable.

YouTube TV is more expensive than Hulu with Live TV, AT&T TV Now and Fubo TV, but better than all three if you can handle the price. For people used to the myriad channels and easy DVR of cable or satellite, it may be worth the extra expense. For cord cutters who want more savings, however, we recommend Hulu Plus Live TV for premium users and Sling TV Blue at $30 per month for people on tighter budgets.

What do you get?

YouTube TV is different from YouTube, the free video service with more than 2 billion users a month. YouTube TV offers an experience similar to cable TV, with live channels and on-demand content available on a variety of devices. It works with Apple TV, Roku, Android TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV along with numerous smart TVs, phones, tablets and web browsers. 

The service operates in much the same way as competitors — there’s a program guide, a DVR and dozens of channels. But what really separates YouTube TV from other premium ($50-plus a month) services such as AT&T TV Now, Hulu with Live TV and FuboTV? Let’s take a look.

YouTube TV’s channel selection is excellent, with more from our list of 100 top channels than any other competitor. That said, more channels doesn’t necessarily mean more of what you want: Some services such as FuboTV lean heavily on sports while others are more wide-ranging. It’s best to check the list at the end of this article, which compares individual channels across services, to make sure you’re getting the channels you want.

Like Hulu, YouTube TV doesn’t offer any add-on channel packages, although it does have a handful of single-channel add-ons like Showtime, Epix, HBO and HBO Max to your subscription. 

What’s it like to use?

YouTube TV’s user interface is fairly simple. There are three top-level tabs broken into Library, Home and Live. Library is where your DVR content lives. Home is where both featured and live thumbnails appear. The Live tab is a familiar-looking program grid which shows currently playing and upcoming shows. You can search for content from the top of any page, which makes it relatively easy to jump straight to the content you want. You can also perform searches with a compatible voice remote or Google Assistant. 

The service’s tie-in to YouTube proper is welcome — with YouTube originals included — though it could be more tightly integrated, especially on TV devices. For example, a content page appears when you press the Go To button on a show, and a Related on YouTube item appears at the bottom. It would be helpful to have thumbnails of related interviews and trailers appear more prominently on this page without having to delve into menus.

The DVR works well and includes the ability to rewind and fast-forward freely through recordings, even ones that aren’t yet completed. The Roku interface offers a 15-second skip by default while the Apple TV’s control system is even better. You can use the touch pad to scroll through videos — and it’s glorious! It’s so much fun and thumbnails make it relatively easy to home in on the part you want.

In the past, when a show appeared in a network’s on-demand library, it would automatically replace the version in your cloud DVR. That means you’d lose the ability to fast-forward through commercials. YouTube TV says it got rid of that restriction in October 2018, but some CNET readers have complained that it still occurs at times. Additionally, YouTube TV’s DVR is not truly unlimited. The shows expire after nine months, but this is still a lot longer than the 30 days you get with most rivals.

YouTube TV won’t save you as much money

At $50 YouTube TV was very attractive, but as the service has added more channels it also added further costs. When you add that $65 monthly fee to the $50 you’re already paying for internet, it means you’re paying over $110 a month. Many cable TV providers will give you a TV-and-internet bundle for around the same money.

Prices vary a lot, of course, and with cable you probably have to pay rental equipment fees, taxes and other extras. And cable providers usually reserve the best bundle pricing for people who sign a contract. The same goes for new “streaming” offerings such as AT&T TV and Comcast’s Infinity Flex.

Like Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and others, YouTube TV is contract-free, so you can cancel at any time. Streaming services also have other advantages over cable. They’re easier to watch on phones and tablets, for example. At $65 per month, however, you’ll have to be coming from a relatively expensive cable bill to realize substantial savings with YouTube TV. In the meantime, give Hulu Plus Live TV a try.

Should you get YouTube TV?

If price is no object, YouTube TV is my favorite live streaming service, but the value proposition will be tough for a lot of people. If you don’t want to be beholden to a traditional cable company — and can get a good broadband-only internet package on the cheap — it’s Hulu Plus Live TV that offers the most compelling package right now. It has an improved interface (finally) and a good mix of channels for $10 less a month. For serious cord cutters on a budget, however, Sling TV is a better bet, especially when paired with an antenna or even AirTV 2.