YouTube TV finally gets the channels it was desperately missing
YouTube TV is one of the best live TV streaming services available to cord-cutters in the United States and it’s about to become all the more attractive.
Google has agreed a multi-year deal that will bring Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1, BET, CMT, Paramount Network and TV Land to subscribers this summer.
Comedy Central was a particular gaping hole in the YouTube TV line up, given the popularity of shows like South Park, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Broad City, Workaholics, Tosh.0, Key & Peele and Drunk History to name but a few.
Accompanying those channels as part of the new accord with ViacomCBS are BET Her, MTV2, Nick Jr., NickToons, TeenNick and MTV Classic. They will also be added to the mix at a later date (via TechCrunch).
The deal will also see YouTube TV continue to provide content from CBS networks like CBS Sports Network, Pop TV, Smithsonian Channel and The CW. The company will also be able to continue offering Showtime as a premium add-on channel.
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All in all, it brings YouTube TV much closer to its goal of being a total replacement for your cable or satellite subscription, with the added benefit of unlimited cloud DVR and the ability to watch live or on-demand on practically any connected screen of your choosing.
It’s a solid bounce-back moment for YouTube TV, which temporarily lost access to a vast array of local sports channels from around the US.
Part of the reason YouTube TV had been such a hit among cord cutters was its access to the Fox Regional Sports Networks, which provided feeds from local sports teams. In the instance of this writer, the local channels that provide access to Miami Heat NBA basketball games and Miami Marlins Major League Baseball games. Thankfully the loss was short-lived and an agreement was reached. Not that there’s any sport to watch now anyway…