Items tagged with youtube tv
YouTube TV subscribers could see a lower monthly bill, albeit perhaps only temporarily. That's the good news (sans the temporary part). Unfortunately, the cheaper bill would come at a different type of cost—the loss of NBC programming. Google's agreement with NBC Universal is about to expire, and two sides have not been able to reach an agreement on an extension. This happens on occasion between service providers and networks, and it is always the customer that gets caught in the cross fire. Usually, these negotiations stay out of the public eye. But when two sides fail to reach agreeable terms with each other, they take the feud public (well, semi-public) and each one tries to persuade...
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YouTube TV in recent years hasn't exactly been an incredible value play when it comes to streaming TV services. What started as a service that cost $35 per month in 2016 now costs subscribers $65 per month, which is getting closer to the pricing that "cord cutters" sought to escape in the first place. This week, Google announced that it's adding new [optional] features to YouTube TV that push its price even higher. YouTube TV is adding what it calls 4K Plus, which as its name implies, allows you to consume 4K content. At this time, there is not exactly a lot of 4K content available. However, Google says that "major sports events" will broadcast in 4K this summer (i.e., the Olympics) and that...
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It's been a while since we visited the ongoing feud between Google and Roku. When we last broached the topic, we were hopeful that the two companies could work out their differences over YouTube TV on the Roku platform. Unfortunately, over a month later, the two companies are further entrenched in their positions on YouTube TV access. Now, Google is offering YouTube TV customers with Roku TVs free hardware to ease their pain. Google sent the following message to select YouTube TV customers: To ensure our loyal YouTube TV members have a great watch experience (including the ability to watch 4K content on our optional new add-on service coming soon!), we want to offer you a free TiVo® Stream...
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We've been covering the ongoing war of words between Google and Roku over YouTube TV negotiations for the past few weeks. And unfortunately for customers caught up in the drama, it's starting to devolve into an unsavory war of words. Most recently, Roku was accused of lying about allegations that Google made anticompetitive requests regarding YouTube TV and YouTube. Google admonished Roku by saying, "To be clear, we have never, as they have alleged, made any requests to access user data or interfere with search results. This claim is baseless and false." The company also acknowledged that it did ask Roku to support the open-source AV1 codec, which would raise hardware costs for Roku streamers...
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The fight between Roku and Google is getting weirder by the day. It all started last week when the former accused the latter of anticompetitive practices with YouTube TV, including search result manipulation and the retention of user data. Google, of course, disputes those claims. Yesterday, Roku sent an email to customers alleging, "We are disappointed to share the news that Google has chosen to let the YouTube TV contract expire." However, in a YouTube TV blog post that went up just a few hours later, Google fired back, writing, "Roku terminated our deal in bad faith amidst our negotiation. Unfortunately, Roku has often engaged in this tactic with other streaming providers." In other words,...
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Roku today yanked YouTube TV from its list of available channels for customers, after it says that Google decided not to renew its contract. This means that Roku users who haven't already added the YouTube TV channel to their account will no longer be able to do so. However, Roku is taking steps to protect customers that already have the YouTube TV channel installed. According to Roku, "users like yourself retain access to YouTube TV while we work to reach an agreement." Roku plans to continue blocking new channel adds and protecting existing YouTube TV customers "unless Google takes actions that require the full removal of the channel." The company also cautions users against removing the channel...
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Yesterday, Roku stirred the hornet's nest when it aired the dirty laundry between it and Google over YouTube TV. YouTube TV is Google's streaming TV service, and it is available on various streaming platforms, including Google TV, Fire TV, and Roku. At the time, Roku alleged that Google engaged in anticompetitive behavior in its current negotiations over the inclusion of YouTube TV on its platform. "Google is attempting to use its YouTube monopoly position to force Roku into accepting predatory, anticompetitive, and discriminatory terms that will directly harm Roku and our users," said Roku. "We simply cannot agree to terms that would manipulate consumer search results, inflate the cost of our...
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When we talk about YouTube TV, it's often because Google once again raised prices on subscribers, making the service more unpalatable to the general populous. But a new price hike isn't why Google is gaining attention today; instead, it's because of policies that smart TV platform leader Roku claims are predatory and monopolistic. Roku sent an email to current YouTube TV subscribers using its platforms over the weekend, describing how negotiations with Google have broken down. According to Roku, it "cannot accept Google's unfair terms as we believe they could harm our users." Roku sheds a little bit of light in the email on the impasse by saying that it won't agree to Google's "anti-competitive...
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Smart TV users, take note! The Google Play Movies & TV app will soon no longer be available on Roku, Samsung, LG, and Vizio smart TVs. The app will officially be inaccessible on June 15, 2021. Google’s streaming services will also be entirely removed from NetCast and LG SimpleSmart devices by this same date. The app itself does not appear to be entirely disappearing and will still be available on Android TVs, Apple TVs, and iPhones and iPads. Google is encouraging customers to instead use the YouTube app and YouTube TV. Customers will be able to access their former purchases by logging into the YouTube app with the account that was previously used for Google Play Movies & TV...
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The move from traditional cable and satellite TV packages to streaming options was supposed to give consumers more freedom and control over video plans. However, the streaming landscape has become muddied with multiple competing services and rising prices over the years. One of the biggest offenders concerning price hikes has been Google's YouTube TV. YouTube TV started at $35/month in 2016 and rose to $40/month in 2018. By 2019, Google raised the streaming TV service's price to $50/month, and last year, it rose yet again to $65/month. YouTube TV nearly doubled in price in four years, which is far more egregious than anything we've seen in the cable/satellite industry. To help ease the burden...
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Well, that was an incredibly brief run. It was only five months ago when T-Mobile tried to lure customers over to TVision Live (an expansion of its TVision service launched in 2019), which as its name implies is a live TV streaming service. And now T-Mobile is turning the channel, essentially phasing out TVision Live in favor of YouTube TV as part of a multi-year agreement hammered out with Google. A visit to the TVision portal at T-Mobile makes clear that "YouTube TV is now T-Mobile's premium live TV solution." And in a related blog post, the wireless carrier further explains that it has also partnered with Philo, which serves as its new base live TV service. The dual partnership is being pitched...
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Earlier this week, Google unloaded a number of new hardware products including the Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5, the Nest Audio smart speaker, and the all-new Chromecast. The Chromecast is by far the cheapest offering of the four new products, coming in at $49.99. If you have your eye on the Chromecast, but haven’t yet pulled the trigger, Google has an offer that might be just enough to change your mind (if you meet certain criteria). Google is currently running a promotion that will give you a free Chromecast if you purchase just a single month of YouTube TV. According to the terms and conditions, you have to subscribe to YouTube TV between October 15th and December 31st 2020...
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If the reason that cord-cutters tried to flee “Big Cable” was to avoid outrageous monthly pricing structures and ever-increasing fees, we’ve got some bad news for you. Google is once again raising prices on YouTube TV customers, and this time it’s a significant increase. Starting with the July 30th billing cycle, a YouTube TV subscription will cost $64.99 per month for all subscribers. We have to remember that this nearly doubles the price that YouTube TV launched at back in 2016, when it cost just $35 per month. The price crept up to $40/month in early 2018, and then again to $50/month last year. At this point, many people are probably wondering...
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The chilly relation between Google and Amazon continues to thaw, as both are giants in the video streaming field. Earlier this year, the two companies buried the hatchet with the return of YouTube to the Amazon Fire TV, and the reciprocal appearance of Prime Video on the Google Chromecast. This frenemies relationship is taking another positive turn today as the standalone YouTube TV app is now available for the Fire TV family of devices, which includes streaming sticks and boxes like the Fire TV Cube. Support will also be extended to Fire TV Edition televisions. YouTube TV faces stiff competition to other streaming rivals like Sling TV and DirecTV Now, and Google didn't do itself any...
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Summer is here, which means that many children around the country are out of school and waiting for September to roll around to get back into the daily grind. With this in mind, there are lots of students, teachers, and folks on vacation who want something to watch on those long, hot, lazy summer days. If you are a cord cutter finding something to watch can be a challenge, but YouTube TV subscribers have something to binge on. YouTube TV has announced that it is giving away months of free Showtime to subscribers. That will give you plenty of time to binge on Ray Donovan, Billions, and other shows and movies the premium cable network offers. It's not clear right now if all YouTube TV subscribers...
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When YouTube TV launched at a price of $35/month, it was seen as a breath of fresh air in the streaming TV market. The service offers live programming (including local network channels) that can be streamed from just about any device, and includes Cloud DVR functionality. However, the $35 monthly price rose to $40 in March 2018, and now Google is instituting another price increase for YouTube TV. Effective immediately for new customers, YouTube TV subscriptions will cost $50 per month. A $15/month increase in two years sounds like something that we’re used to from Big Cable, and not more lithe competitors in the streaming world, but here we are. And we’ve...
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Following its initial launch in select markers back in 2017, Google has announced that its YouTube TV streaming service is now launching nationwide today. YouTube TV is up against a number of big players in the market including DirecTV Now, Sling TV, and Hulu + Live TV. This market expansion should make the service appealing to even more Americans at a $40/month price point. Google says that YouTube TV is now available in the top 95 markets, as of today, and that 98% of households in the U.S. are covered. The remainder of the people not covered today will get coverage "shortly thereafter" today's nationwide launch. The benefit of YouTube TV is that it allows users to watch feeds...
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Anyone who pays for cable or internet service hates it when the service is out, and what you are paying for can’t be used. This is exactly what YouTube TV users had to endure this week with the service experiencing an outage for many subscribers. YouTube wants to make good on the service interruption and has sent an email to the people who were affected by the outage, telling them what the company is going do to make up for the inconvenience. YouTube TV was out last week on Tuesday and in exchange for being unable to watch during the outage, users affected are getting a free week of service. The email tells those affected that they can contact them via a form specifically for affected users,...
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If you've been thinking at all about trying out YouTube TV long-term, today is your last shot to sign up for the streaming service before a price hike goes into effect. YouTube TV currently costs $35 a month for subscribers, but starting tomorrow, that price will jump to $40 per month. While a price bump is no doubt disappointing, there are two upsides that we should mention. For starters, if you are a YouTube TV customer as of today, March 12th, you are grandfathered in at the $35 rate. Secondly, there are new channels that have been added to the lineup to help make the price increase more palatable. You now have access to over 50 networks (including ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox) along with new additions...
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More and more people are ditching their expensive cable and satellite TV plans and going with streaming options like Netflix, Sling TV, and Hulu. The catch is that some of these streaming services mean you miss out on local content like news and sports. YouTube TV gets around that by offering streaming content that includes your local shows and news. Yesterday, YouTube announced that the YouTube TV app had launched on Roku devices, which are the most popular streaming devices out there. Along with that announcement, YouTube also announced that the same app would be coming for Apple TV users "very soon" -- and true to its word, YouTube TV is now available on Apple TV devices. The YouTube...
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Roku's family of devices is the most popular streaming platform out there, and some smart TVs even come with Roku integrated by default. Roku users now have another option for watching their favorite content and cutting the cord from satellite or cable providers: YouTube TV. The app used on the Roku device is the same YouTube TV app that is available currently on Android TV, Xbox One (launched in October), and other platforms. That means you get the same features that users on other platforms are enjoying, namely the unlimited Cloud DVR, personalized recommendations, and a grid-style programming guide. A YouTube rep also told CNET that YouTube TV would be “coming very soon”...
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YouTube TV launched earlier this year as the latest in a long list of streaming services aimed at people looking to cut the cord. However, the launch was limited by the fact that the service was primarily focused on watching content from a smartphone or tablet. While that may be OK for people that want to watch TV shows while on-the-go, it didn't specially address the market for people that primarily watch content in front of a big screen television. Well, that all changes today, as Google just announced the YouTube TV app is coming to a host of devices specifically designed to provide a big screen experience. Those devices include the NVIDIA SHIELD TV (which gains supports via SHIELD Software...
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