YouTube TV have started in select markets across the U.S. by launching streaming bundles.
The Alphabet-owned video giant first announced the service in February, and today the $35 monthly subscription service rolls out in New York, Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Chicago and Philadelphia, with more US markets coming soon. Consumers will be able to sign up for a free trial offer for 30 days and after the first month’s payment can get a free Google Chromecast, while supplies last, to stream the service on a tv set.
ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN, Fox Sports, Comcast SportsNet, are the networks and YouTube, just announced a new deal with AMC Network.
Those cities can now get access to 50 channels of all different kinds of content — news, sports, entertainment and more — to whet their whistles and cut down on the excess additional expenses or grab people who would never have paid for television in the first place.
YouTube TV is looking to compete with its now slew of rivals, from AT&T’s DirecTV Now, to Hulu’s live TV service, which is set to launch shortly.
Aside from Fox, CBS, NBC and ABC, Youtube has more than 1 billion people watching videos on the platform, something its competitors also can’t match.
YouTube TV appears so far, to be targeting sports lovers, though there are no yet inked deal with Turner properties such as TBS or TNT, which have the MLB and NBA playoffs.
YouTube TV membership includes six accounts, each which will receive its own unique recommendations, tapping into the AI analysis of big data it’s developed for YouTube.
YouTube TV is the culmination of several years of work at Google-owned YouTube and represents a radical shift in the company’s business from its roots as an ad-supported platform for user-generated video, to a full-fledged provider of traditional television programming.
