YouTube unveils YouTube TV, its live TV streaming service

After many months of rumors, YouTube has officially announced its entry into streaming live TV. YouTube TV will let you access live and recorded content from major networks, both the big broadcast players as well as some options typically found on cable. All of this will be coupled alongside YouTube's existing content, and it'll work on nearly any screen that YouTube is available on. The new service will be available later this spring to customers in the US for $35 a month with no contract; that lets up to six users access content whenever they want.

Available networks include CBS, Fox, NBC and CBS along with cable players USA and FX. Sports networks include ESPN, Fox Sports and NBCSN -- there's a total of 10 sports networks available. You can also add on Showtime for an additional fee. The local affiliates for your city will also be included, so you can watch news and programming broadcasts from the same channels you'd see over the air. All in all, the total of "more than 40 networks" is comparable to options like Sling TV and PlayStation Vue, although each service varies (YouTube TV's channel lineup is below).

The mobile app features three main sections: live, library and home. The live tab shows everything currently being broadcast organized by network. As you scroll, you'll see a live preview of what's on each channel. If you want to watch, you can just tap and it'll start playing. If you want to watch something later, you can tap the plus icon and start recording a show. When watching in portrait mode, you'll see recommendations down below it, but you can, of course, flip the phone on its side to go into full screen mode. There's also an ever-present "cast" button if you want to send video to your Chromecast or a compatible TV.

The app's search page lets you see recommendations by genre and network as well as specific categories tailored to your viewing habits. You can also search for something like "time travel" and get a list of movies or TV shows that feature time travel in the plot. Typing in a specific show will take you to a page listing out all the episodes available to you at any given time. The library is pretty self-explanatory. It features all the shows you've recorded, sports teams you're interested in and also lets you view everything scheduled to be recorded on your DVR.

Lastly, the "home" tab is similar to what you currently see when using the basic YouTube experience. It's full of things you've watched recently, recommendations based on what you watch, things you've been watching that you might want to resume, and so on.

Source - Youtube