If you're a Google and Android fan, this is a no brainer. The quality of the video stream is top notch and I've never had buffering or issues like I've had with SlingTV. The video stream quality is also noticeably better too. However if you're a shopper like me then stick around a minute.
YouTube TV offers DVR mode, records new episodes, and has playback of old episodes of many shows. It also carries the major television networks for your local area. The quality is very good and the platform is quite stable (aside from a couple app outages which are rare). They also have add on networks and programming like many of the other live TV streaming services.
There is good competition in this space and everyone seems to be settling for the $40 range on their products. SlingTV even raised their price on the Orange package by $5 as the competition stays above that range.
Now available to nearly anyone with a good network connection or cell phone service...
SlingTV
Youtube TV
Hulu TV
DirectTV Now
Spectrum TV Stream
and more to come.
YouTube TV can have 3 simultaneous streams at once, and it also can be shared in the family sharing feature on Google so you can let a family member log in with their own credential and have their own saved shows and such.
YouTube TV is constantly adding new networks and recently raised their prices from $35 to $40, as new networks were added. I tried Hulu TV during the beta and there were some streaming issues with the app crashing or streams stopping. Also the Live TV feature was only found using the desktop browser platform. It was much more difficult to get to Live TV on the mobile app and on the Xbox One. They have updated their menus and should be easier to get to the live TV features on the Hulu app now.
I have not tried DirectTV Now or Spectrum TV Stream but imagine since those are from big cable television players they have good competitive products as they play catch up to the cord cutting wave as cable subscribers diminish and the number of cord cutters increase.
Video content consumers want choices and to able to make choices without stuffy bundles that are wasteful to end users and the content providers. It seems like the tide is finally in and when it goes back out; the early adopters, both the provider and consumer are defining the market. However as more jump on board, the market is seemingly look like the old cable bundles. Where is my a la carte choices? Not yet... but someone somewhere will think of a way soon.
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