Despite rising costs, YouTube TV remains my streaming service of choice
Despite rising costs, YouTube TV remains my streaming service of choice
YouTube TV’s base price officially crossed $80 per month this week. Despite this rate hike, it is still the service that best fits my family’s needs.
Anyone that knows me, knows that I tend to look around to get the absolute best deal possible. Whether I’m making a small or large purchase, I like to spend a lot of time comparing options, understanding price points and features, and doing whatever else it takes to make an informed decision. When it came time a few years ago to find a new live TV streaming service, I spent nearly a week researching the options to see which would work best for me and my family. Ultimately, I went with YouTube TV.
Since signing up for the service, the price has gone up quite a bit, and while it has led me to second-guess my choice — it hasn’t been enough to make me switch. Sometimes, price is only one small part of a purchasing decision. While it’s not universally true, this is definitely one of the times where the saying “you get what you pay for” holds some truth.
Initially, when trying to decide which streaming service to sign up for there were a few things that were non-negotiables for me. First off, I’m not a huge sports guy; don’t get me wrong, I’ll watch a game here and there, but I am not flipping between multiple games or canceling plans with friends and family to stay home and watch a marquee matchup. Also, local news doesn’t play a big role in my viewing habits, so because of that, I realized my options were pretty flexible, and it really opened up the playing field to almost all of the live TV streamers.
Click images to get a full-screen look at YouTube TV’s interface.
There was one thing, however, that remained critical in my decision-making process. I needed the ability to (legally) use my subscription in multiple locations at the same time.
Password sharing and streaming from multiple locations have been hot topics across the industry for some time now. With more companies cracking down in hopes of driving up subscriber counts and average revenue per user, it’s become increasingly hard to find streamers that allow you to watch when you are away from home. Since I joined The Streamable last year, I have been traveling more than I had before, and YouTube TV allows me to watch wherever I am on a confirmed device just by confirming that I am temporarily away from home. And since the family plan I am on allows us to watch on three devices simultaneously, I don’t have to worry about my wife and kids not having access at the same time.
So, why is that important? I know that we could absolutely opt for a cheaper monthly bill from a skinny bundle streamer like Sling TV or Philo which would meet most of our regular needs, but it simply doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to give up all of the extras that YouTube TV includes. From the vast channel selection to the useful DVR, easy-to-use menu, and more, YouTube TV offers a very compelling package, and it’s easy to see why it continues to grow in popularity.
Related: YouTube TV vs. Philo: Go big or go cheap
I’ve had YouTube TV for almost three years at this point, and it has yet to let me down. From the moment I signed up, it was clear that this service was built to be reliable. The stream quality is consistent, whether I’m watching at home on my 65-inch TV or catching up on shows on my phone while traveling. I’ve never experienced any significant buffering or pixelation issues, which is something I’ve struggled with on other platforms in the past. The interface is intuitive, easy to navigate, and rarely glitches, which makes it a pleasure to use every time.
In addition to quality, YouTube TV has proven to be quite reliable. I’ve had zero interruptions to service during crucial moments like live events or new episode releases, which, unfortunately, isn’t always guaranteed with other streaming services. The DVR functionality allows us to record shows and catch up on them when life gets busy since they are stored for up to nine months.
This reliability, combined with the flexibility of streaming from multiple devices without issues, has solidified YouTube TV as one of the best live TV streaming services I’ve used. It’s one of those platforms I no longer have to think twice about; I can count on it, and that peace of mind is invaluable.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV is a live TV streaming service with more than 60 channels for $82.99/month. This plan includes local channels, 32 of the top 35 cable channels, and regional sports networks (RSNs) in select markets. The service includes an unlimited DVR. The Streamable does not recommend YouTube TV. Consider DIRECTV STREAM for a better channel lineup or Hulu Live TV for its free Disney Bundle.