YouTube TV 2022 Review: Is It Worth It?

YouTube TV review: Channels, price and everything you need to know

$65/mo. with no long-term contracts or equipment
100+ live TV channels
Great option for sports fans
Unlimited cloud DVR storage
One week free trial
Requires at least 3 Mbps internet speed

What we like

Best channel lineup
Delightful interface and navigation
Unlimited DVR storage
Three simultaneous streams
Best option for sports fans

Things to consider

Lacks many regional sports networks
Missing A&E, History, Lifetime and Cooking Channel

Verdict:

YouTube TV has the best channel lineup, user experience and DVR storage, but you’ll pay a premium for it.

Get $10 off your first 4 months

What channels do you get with YouTube TV?

If you’re looking for a live TV streaming service that will replicate the breadth of a traditional cable or satellite package, YouTube TV has one of the largest and most well-rounded selections around.

It has more than 100 channels in total, behind only fuboTV and DIRECTV STREAM.

Category	Channels
Locals	ABC CBS FOX NBC PBS The CW
Sports	ESPN ESPN2 FS1 NBC Sports NBA TV MLB Network Big Ten Network SEC Network Golf Channel
Comedy	Comedy Central TBS Cartoon Network FXX IFC
Drama	FX TNT Paramount Network USA SyFy BBC America
Movies	AMC TCM Sundance TV
News	CNN FOX News MSNBC CNBC BBC World News FOX Business HLN
Family	Disney Channel Nickelodeon Freeform Disney Jr. Universal Kids
Nature	Discovery Channel Animal Planet Nat Geo
Lifestyle	Food Network TLC MTV HGTV Bravo E! Travel Channel We TV OWN
True Crime	TruTV Investigation Discovery Oxygen

You can find a complete channel listing for your area by entering your ZIP code on YouTube TV’s home page.

What channels is YouTube TV missing?

Unfortunately, YouTube TV is missing a number of popular channels.

Out of the top 25 channels that consumers said they wanted the most in a TV package, YouTube TV only has 19. That’s a fairly standard number for live TV streaming services — more on how it compares below — but chances are YouTube TV is missing a few channels you’ll want.

Here are some of the most popular channels YouTube TV is missing:

A&E
Cooking Channel
History
ION

Lifetime
Music Choice
Science

Is YouTube TV good for sports?

For the most part, YouTube TV is a great option for U.S. sports fans. There are a couple notable exceptions — primarily the NHL Network — but it generally has more sports channels than most cable and satellite packages.

Here are all the channels that air nationally televised games from each of the major leagues in the U.S.:

League	What it has	What it’s missing
NFL	ESPN, FOX, NBC, CBS, NFL Network
MLB	ESPN, ESPN2, FOX, FS1, TBS, MLB Network
NBA	ABC, ESPN, TNT, NBA TV
NHL	NBC, NBC Sports, USA, CNBC	NHL Network
NCAA Football	ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, FOX, ABC, CBS, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, SEC Network	Pac-12 Network, ESPN College Extra

YouTube TV isn’t quite as strong when it comes to your local teams. MLB, NBA and NHL games air locally on regional sports networks (RSNs), and YouTube TV is missing a lot of them. Here are the RSNs YouTube TV carries:

NBC Sports Bay Area
NBC Sports Boston
NBC Sports California
NBC Sports Chicago
NBC Sports Northwest
NBC Sports Philadelphia
NBC Sports Philadelphia
NBC Sports Washington
SportsNet NY

If your favorite team plays their games on any other local channels — most notably any Bally Sports affiliate — you won’t be able to watch their games through YouTube TV.

Plenty of available add-ons

Like most live TV streaming services, YouTube TV lets you customize your plan by adding on premium channels to its base plans. Choose to add on premium channels like HBO Max and SHOWTIME, sports channels like Fox Soccer Plus, 4k resolution or its Spanish language package.

Granted, these are all the same price you’d pay if you’d gone directly from the provider. But accessing them all through YouTube TV can make your streaming life a little simpler.

Will YouTube TV actually save you money?

It depends. Unlike with Sling TV ($35/mo.) or Philo ($20/mo.), YouTube TV’s $65 monthly bill probably won’t shave much off of your TV spending. Because most cable providers offer a hefty discount when you bundle with internet service, you might actually pay more for a combination of internet and YouTube TV. Here’s how YouTube TV compares to a few common TV packages.

	YouTube TV	Sling Orange	XFINITY (300 Mbps + Popular TV)	Spectrum Internet + TV Select	AT&T 300 + DIRECTV
Monthly TV + internet cost	$65 (TV) + $60* (internet)	$35 (TV) + $60* (internet)	$125	$79.98	$129.99
Installation fee	None	None	Up to $60	Up to $200	Up to $99
Equipment rental fee	None	None	$12/mo.	$15/mo.	None
Contract length	One month	One month	One year	One year	Two years
Number of channels	100+	33	140+	125+	160+
Estimated year one costs	$1,500	$1,140	$1,500	$1,140	$1,560

Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. As of 10/31/22.
*Average price of broadband internet in U.S.

That’s not to say YouTube TV isn’t worth paying a little more for. It might have a better channel selection than your traditional TV provider, and it has a number of perks like unlimited DVR storage, three simultaneous streams and easy-to-use mobile apps that you won’t find through cable or satellite TV. But if you’re strictly looking to save money while hanging on to live TV, skinny bundles like Sling and Philo are all better bets for $25-$35/mo.

Excellent interface and navigation

Where YouTube TV really shines is its delightful user interface. While most live TV streaming services seem to just copy-paste the look of cable and satellite TV and call it a day, YouTube TV actually takes advantage of the freedom afforded it by streaming.

We spent a week watching YouTube TV on a Roku Streaming Stick, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV and MacBook Pro. No matter what device we used, it was a pleasure to look at and use. While most streaming services opt for a dark background with light text, YouTube TV’s interface is refreshingly clean, with easy-to-read black lettering over a white background.

Instead of simply showing a logo or still from the program, YouTube TV actually gives you a preview of what’s on at that exact moment. If you see that it’s halftime of the game you want to watch, for instance, you can skip it without actually clicking the channel to check. This sounds like a small detail, but as we used YouTube TV over the course of a week, we were surprised to find how much of a timesaver this actually was.

YouTube TV also employs a traditional guide interface, but again, it makes some upgrades that significantly improved the experience. Like the homepage, it shows you a preview of what’s playing when you rest on a channel with your remote, and you can easily scroll to earlier or later time slots to see what else is on that channel.

We also loved YouTube TV’s search function, which worked better than any other service we tested — not surprising considering this company’s history with videos on the internet. The tags on the homepage were surprisingly useful.

When we clicked “adventure,” it took us to a page with a relevant mix of live and on-demand videos. When we tried searching “adventure” on services like Sling TV, the results were limited to shows and movies that contained the word in their titles, a much less helpful list.

YouTube TV app

YouTube TV is as enjoyable to use as a mobile app as it is on a streaming device. It currently has a stellar 4.0 rating on 35.6K reviews on the App Store and a solid 3.8 on 81K reviews from Google Play.

This was largely the experience we had, too. The app was simple to sign in to and use, with the same clean interface we appreciated on the streaming device and desktop apps. The mobile app allows you to preview each channel in the same way, too.

Generous extras

On top of its unparalleled design and navigation, YouTube TV is also more generous with its perks than any of its competitors.

Unlimited DVR storage

There’s no limit to the amount of shows and movies you can keep in your YouTube TV DVR. They’ll store for nine months, too, so you don’t have to make any hard TV decisions any time soon. The only other service that offers unlimited DVR storage is Philo.

Three simultaneous streams

YouTube TV also lets you stream on three devices at the same time, a tremendous kindness for families with diverse viewing habits. If you need even more than that, while Sling’s Orange + Blue package is the only service with more streams allowed at four.

YouTube TV FAQs

Which streaming devices work with YouTube TV?

YouTube TV is compatible with every major streaming device, gaming console and smart TV, with one exception: PlayStation 4. But that might be changing soon, as Sony recently pulled the plug on its own live TV streaming service.

Here’s the full list of YouTube TV’s compatible devices:

Amazon Fire TV
Android TVs
Apple TV
Google Chromecast
Hisense smart TVs (select models)
LG smart TVs (2016 and newer)
PlayStation
Roku
Samsung smart TVs (2016 and newer)
Sharp smart TVs (select models)
Vizio smart TVs (select models)
Xbox

What internet speed do I need for YouTube TV?

YouTube TV recommends at least 3 Mbps download speeds, but that’s on the low side. Netflix, for instance, says you should have at least 5 Mbps for HD streaming. For more information, check out our guide to internet speeds. If you’re not sure what you’re currently getting, you can also use our speed test below.

Your speed test results:

Download Speeds

888 Mbps

Upload Speeds

88 Mbps

Need more for the price?

Try these helpful hacks to improve your internet speed. Or if you just want more bang for your buck, check out providers near you with more speed for the price. Either way, we’ll help you find what you need.

View providers near me

Rather chat? Give us a call: (844) 451-2720

Pro Tip: For best results, use an Ethernet cord to connect your router or modem directly to your device before you run the test.

Can you fast-forward through commercials on YouTube TV?

Unfortunately, YouTube TV broadcasts the same live TV channels as a cable or satellite provider, and that means you can’t skip through commercials. However, if you pause a live show, you are able to fast-forward through commercials to catch up to the live feed. On-demand content generally has short ads you have to sit through, too. That said, you are able to fast-forward commercials on any programs you’ve recorded in your DVR.

Is YouTube TV worth it?

Whether YouTube TV is worth it for you comes down to a few personal preferences. Would you rather have ESPN or HBO? How about A&E or ABC? There are a cluster of live TV streaming services around the $60/mo. range, and they all share about 90% of the same channels.

If none of them really stand out to you, go with YouTube TV. It has the best user experience and mobile app by a mile, plus you’ll get unlimited DVR storage and three simultaneous streams — the most generous extra perks that any service offers. Best of all? If you decide you don’t like it, you’re only locked in to one month at a time.

Written by:

Joe Supan

Senior Writer, Broadband Content

Joe Supan is the senior writer for Allconnect and MyMove. He has helped build the proprietary metrics used on Allconnect’s review pages, utilizing thousands of data points to help readers navigate these comple… Read more