YouTube TV Updates Features, Including Bitrate Improvements and More 5.1 Surround Channels
The improvements should make watching live sporting events like the World Series and other content much more enjoyable for YouTube TV users.
It’s hard work maintaining a live TV streaming service that reaches millions of customers each day. That’s why YouTube TV keeps its engineers working round the clock, fixing bugs and updating features to make sure the experience is as good for subscribers as it can be.
- YouTube TV is continuing to roll out bitrate improvements for better picture quality.
- 5.1 Surround Sound is now available on ESPN’s channels on compatible devices.
- The improvements come as YouTube TV is struggling to attract users to NFL Sunday Ticket.
Better Sound and Picture
Some YouTube TV customers have taken note of the service’s comparatively poor picture quality when stood against the likes of Hulu + Live TV and Fubo over the years. YouTube TV shared an update on Reddit last week, confirming that higher 1080p bitrates were in the process of being introduced to users. Those higher bitrates have not made their way to all YouTube TV customers yet, but once they do subscribers will notice a better picture quality when they stream.
Additional YouTube TV channels including the ESPN family are also now available to watch in 5.1 surround sound on compatible devices, engineers have confirmed. This type of sound system uses five full-bandwidth channels and one low-frequency channel to deliver sound, ensuring users get the full range of audio piped into their speakers to immerse themselves in the viewing experience.
Rankings released by J.D. Power found that YouTube TV led all live TV services in terms of customer satisfaction in 2023, and that it beat out cable in this metric by a wide margin. These improvements should help it maintain its place at the top of the customer approval heap.
Too Little, Too Late for Sunday Ticket Subscribers in 2023?
The new technical improvements for YouTube TV customers are certainly going to be welcomed, but customers who signed up for NFL Sunday Ticket already may find their delivery a bit tardy. Worse yet for YouTube TV, it likely would have been able to convince more customers to sign up for Sunday Ticket in the first place had the improvements been ready in September.
A recent report indicated that YouTube TV had only drawn 1.3 million users to NFL Sunday Ticket in 2023. That’s only 100,000 more users than were on the service in its final season on DIRECTV, and not remotely close to the number of customers YouTube TV will need to make a profit off the acquisition of Sunday Ticket’s rights.
On the heels of that report, YouTube TV agreed to drop its oft-advertised claim that it was $600 per year cheaper than cable, after a complaint from the Better Business Bureau. It’s been a tough month for YouTube TV from a news standpoint, and the company hopes these new technical improvements will turn things around a bit in the minds of current and potential customers.
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.