YouTube TV’s cloud DVR has an unusual catch. If the on-demand version of the show you recorded is available, then you have to watch that version with ad-skipping disabled.
Don’t confuse YouTube TV, Google’s new streaming package of about 40 television channels, which debuts Wednesday, with Netflix, Amazon Prime and other streaming offerings. YouTube TV primarily aims to let you channel surf over the internet, not to stream from an online library of shows and movies. YouTube TV, for instance, features staples such as ESPN and major broadcast networks, but lacks key networks such as PBS, CNN and Comedy Central. And it will initially be only available in a handful of major U.S. cities because media rights are still stuck in the 20th century,
Despite the obvious abilities these virtual multi-network services wield to create a more consumer-friendly ad model, at least in the near-term, their ads will look a whole lot like those delivered through the normal pipes. That means marketers should hang their hopes for innovation in TV commercials less on live streaming TV — and more on particular subsections such as video on demand.
YouTube announced its long-rumored YouTube TV service last week, plunging the online video platform into the competitive world of live TV streaming. The biggest challengers — DirecTV Now, PlayStation Vue and Sling TV — offer many similar features to YouTube TV, and that will undoubtedly make it difficult for aspiring cord-cutters to know if they should wait for YouTube’s service or take the plunge now. Here’s a breakdown of these four streaming services.
YouTube on Tuesday introduced YouTube TV, which the company describes as “live TV designed for the YouTube generation — those who want to watch what they want, when they want, how they want, without commitments.” It features live TV streaming from ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN, regional sports networks and dozens of cable networks; a cloud DVR, with no storage limits; and YouTube Red originals. It costs $35 and month and comes with six accounts.
