BudGibson
BudGibson
Jul 30, 2017 · 2 min read

A More Nuanced Review of YouTube TV

YouTube TV arrived in Metro Detroit about a week ago. I’ve been using it since last Sunday. I think I’d heartily recommend it, particularly if you are currently between cable subscriptions (periodically applies pretty much to any student and many people under 35). However, there are some nuances.

The positives:

  • It only costs $35/month for a lot sports, local broadcast, and a pretty good dose of cable programming.
  • It runs well in a variety of circumstances so that you can watch tv anywhere.
  • It works incredibly well with Google Chromecast making for a great large screen experience.
  • The $35/month covers 5 family members, each of whom gets his or her own login with individualized preferences.
  • The personalized recommendations are pretty good over the content carried by YouTube TV.

The negatives:

  • I sort of feel like I need a dedicated device to use YouTube TV on the large TV in our family room. This would give all family members an easy way to just watch TV together vs. people having to cast from their own personal device.
  • YouTube TV claims to work with Apple AirPlay. Well, not really. The experience is poor. Don’t do it. Blow $35 on a Chromecast. Your experience will be WAY better.
  • Subscription services aren’t supported, meaning you have to access additional apps. Want HBO? That’s another app. ShowTime? PBS (!)? The same. And of course, Netflix is the same. Having to use separate apps is a real pain. Each time, you have to restart Chromecast from that specific app and take over your TV with a new interface. Throw in Netflix, HBO, ShowTime, and PBS, and you’re looking at close to $40/month beyond the $35, i.e., $75/month for a basic TV package.
  • The $35/month does not cover certain channels we often watch and that are not normally subscription services, including PBS (!!), CNN, TNT, TBS, Comedy Central to name just the top ones. You can get A PBS app, but you have to start a subscription with PBS to really get use out of it (which actually fits with PBS’ business model, so OK).

My personal bottom line is that, were it only up to me, I would just switch to YouTube TV. With the diverse considerations of our family viewing habits and getting everyone on board and comfortable with the experience, I’m slightly more hesitant.

    BudGibson

    Written by

    BudGibson

    I created the search marketing program at Eastern Michigan University. My students manage significant online marketing spends as part of their course work.