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The cord-cutting revolution continues. This time YouTube is up to bat and is joining the ranks of DirectTV Now, Sling, PlayStation Vue and others. Announced in February, YouTube TV will be offering a moderate lineup of around 50 streaming channels but the big selling point for the service, in my opinion, is the unlimited, cloud-based DVR storage.
YouTube’s service is still in its infancy state at the moment but if you live in one of five select cities you can sign up for a 30 day free trial and if you decide to stay on board they’ll throw in a Chromecast with your first months paid subscription of $35. The channel selection is a bit less that that of the comparable package from DirecTV Now but Google has promised more networks will be added in the near future at no additional cost.
Early adopters in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco can sign up now for the free trial and take advantage of the free Chromecast Gen 2 dongle is they choose to keep the service. Up to 6 users can have individual access to one account, each with their own, personal DVR service for recording shows. Networks include Disney, ESPN, NBC, FoxNews and many more. For Walking Dead fans, AMC is on the list of future additions.
For $35, up to 6 accounts within your household have access to the service, each with their own personal DVR for recording shows. The subscription also includes access to YouTube Red original programming. On an interesting note, most streaming services of this kind do not include local access channels. However, the Google support page clearly states;
You need to physically be in your home area—or wherever you’ll most frequently use YouTube TV—to sign up. This is to make sure you get access to the correct local networks.
Google Support for YouTube TV
That, combined with unlimited DVR space, makes YouTube TV stand out among the growing number of streaming services. It’s not available in my area, yet. But, I have signed up for an alert when it is and will be anxious to report back on my initial impressions. For now, if you happen to be in one of the select cities, you can grab yourself a free Chromecast and some cordless Cable TV and see for yourself.
