YouTube TV Hits 8 Million Subscribers; Increases Lead as Biggest Live TV Streaming Service
Everyone in the entertainment industry knows that cord-cutting is accelerating as more and more Americans get rid of their traditional pay-TV subscriptions and move on to streaming options instead. The move away from cable and satellite providers has been a boon for streaming services of all kinds. While some consumers have completely abandoned linear programming altogether, opting for on-demand choices, an increasing number of people are retaining some semblance of the traditional TV experience with live TV streaming services, and the most popular of these options continues to increase its customer lead over its competitors. On Tuesday, YouTube TV announced that it had crossed the 8 million subscriber mark, meaning that it continues to stand atop the live-streaming mountain.
- As live TV streaming has grown, YouTube TV has been able to amass 8 million subscribers, far more than any other service.
- NFL Sunday Ticket contributed significantly to the increase in customers, but is not solely responsible for recent increases.
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The revelation came as part of YouTube CEO Neal Mohan’s annual letter addressing the recent successes for the streaming trendsetter. The newly announced 8 million subscriber total is the first time that the Google-owned platform has publically acknowledged its customer count in almost a year and a half. In July 2022, YouTube became the first live streamer to eclipse 5 million customers, as it was already beginning to dwarf its competition.
Last May, external analysis from research and investment firm MoffettNathanson estimated the streamer's subscriber total to be at 6.3 million, meaning that if those numbers were accurate at the time, YouTube TV has added 1.7 million customers in just nine months. While the platform was already growing before the addition, perhaps the biggest impetus for increased signups is the fact that in September 2023, YouTube TV became the home of the NFL’s out-of-market streaming service NFL Sunday Ticket. Analysis from research firm Antenna indicates that YouTube TV picked up an additional 250,000 subscribers thanks solely to NFL Sunday Ticket customers also deciding to add a subscription to the larger live streamer as well. A full 31% of people who subscribed to Sunday Ticket also became YouTube TV customers, even though the football package was available as a standalone subscription option via YouTube’s Primetime Channels.
Since the service’s growth cannot be completely attributed to the popularity of football, Google is exploring opportunities to expand its live TV streaming service internationally. While many streaming services operate in the United States and in other regions around the globe, those are almost exclusively on-demand platforms. Due to the complicated retransmission and carriage contracts required to broadcast live TV via the internet, almost all live streamers are exclusively domestic. However, with the size and scope of Google as a parent company, and the ubiquity of YouTube as the world’s most popular streaming platform should be able to help YouTube TV quickly gain market share in whatever markets it eventually launches in.
How Does YouTube TV’s Customer Total Compare to Other Live TV Streaming Services?
While the TV industry continues its hastening march toward streaming, YouTube TV has been able to build a sizeable and ever-increasing lead over its nearest competitors. However, it is difficult to ascertain how large the platform’s lead is, because many of the other live TV streaming services do not regularly release their customer totals.
Google opts not to reveal subscriber counts during its quarterly earnings reports, so when it comes to official YouTube TV stats, details are only shared via the occasional release or open letter, like the one from Mohan. Nonetheless, the confirmation of YouTube TV crossing the 8 million subscriber mark means that it is getting close to doubling its closest competitor, at least in terms of the numbers we know.
Disney will report its earnings on Wednesday, Feb. 7, but the last time that it did so, the company’s live streaming service Hulu + Live TV stood at 4.6 million customers, which is believed to be the second most, only to YouTube TV. The sports-focused platform Fubo is the only other live TV streamer that regularly reports customer totals. At the end of 2023’s third quarter, Fubo reported having just 1.48M subscribers. Sling TV last provided a customer count at the end of Q4 2022, when it had 2.334 million subscribers, which marked a quarterly and year-over-year decline. DIRECTV STREAM does not report its numbers, so it is difficult to determine where the platform sits, but if its numbers rivaled those of YouTube TV — or even Hulu + Live TV — it is unlikely that DIRECTV would keep them hidden.
Nonetheless, it is safe to say that YouTube TV is far and away the dominant force in live TV streaming and given Google’s size and ambitions, it is unlikely to cede ground to any competitors anytime soon.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV is a live TV streaming service with more than 60 channels for $72.99/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.