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YouTube TV now available on Roku and Apple TV

YouTube's $35-per-month alternative to cable TV comes to a pair of popular streaming platforms.

David Katzmaier Editorial Director -- Personal Tech
David reviews TVs and leads the Personal Tech team at CNET, covering mobile, software, computing, streaming and home entertainment. We provide helpful, expert reviews, advice and videos on what gadget or service to buy and how to get the most out of it.
Expertise A 20-year CNET veteran, David has been reviewing TVs since the days of CRT, rear-projection and plasma. Prior to CNET he worked at Sound & Vision magazine and eTown.com. He is known to two people on Twitter as the Cormac McCarthy of consumer electronics. Credentials
  • Although still awaiting his Oscar for Best Picture Reviewer, David does hold certifications from the Imaging Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology on display calibration and evaluation.
David Katzmaier
2 min read

Just in time for the big game, the Winter Olympics, the Oscars and everything else, YouTube TV has finally made its way to Roku  and Apple TV.

Roku makes the most popular streamers and is a perennial favorite of CNET's streamer and smart TV reviews, which are the best values on the market. Apple TV is more expensive but still highly recommended for its polish and raft of capabilities. Between the two they account for more than half of the streaming player installed base in the US.

The launch of YouTube TV on both platforms means that Roku and Apple TV users now have access to yet another alternative to traditional cable TV. The YouTube TV app is the same as the one currently available on Android TV, Xbox One and other platforms, complete with access to the service's unlimited cloud DVR, personalized recommendations and a full grid-style program guide.

Watch this: YouTube TV's big-screen app lets you kick Chromecast to the curb

YouTube TV, not to be confused with the free version of YouTube filled with music videos, late-night TV clips and cute puppies, costs $35 per month and appeals to cable TV cord cutters. Its package of 40-plus live TV channels includes locals such as ABC, CBSFox and NBC as well as cable stalwarts including AMC, ESPN, the Disney Channel, Fox News and Bravo. (Disclosure: CBS is the parent company of CNET and Showtime.) Initially restricted to a handful of cities, YouTube TV is now available in more than 80 markets nationwide, covering 80 percent of the US population.

YouTube TV app 04
YouTube

When YouTube TV first launched in April 2017 it was available on PCs, phones and tablets, but the only way to watch it on an actual TV was by casting from your phone to a Chromecast. Now it can be used on the following TV devices:

YouTube TV's competitors, including Sling TVHulu with Live TVPlayStation Vue and DirecTV Now, are all currently available on most of the same devices, as well as Amazon Fire TV and (in the case of Vue) PlayStation. YouTube TV has not announced plans for Fire TV or PlayStation apps.

Like its competitors, YouTube TV offers a free trial for new subscribers. In this case it's well-timed to catch some of the biggest broadcast events of the year.

Update, Feb. 2 at 11:10 a.m.: Adds the addition of the Apple TV app. First published February 1.