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YouTube TV has been out for a while. While the current price of $72/month is miles above the initial price of $35/month, the platform has been rapidly expanding. According to some new industry data, YouTube TV has surpassed 6.5 million subscribers.
YouTube TV first hit the market in February of 2017, and it was a pretty weird time for it to launch. At that point, several of the streaming services that exist today had yet to Launch, Netflix was still gathering subscribers at an increasing rate, and the streaming market was heating up. People were starting to turn away from traditional television in lieu of on-demand streaming.
So, it seemed weird that YouTube wanted to bring a new television streaming service. However, seeing as several services such as Roku and Hulu now offer traditional television, it doesn’t seem so weird now.
YouTube TV crossed 6.5 million subscribers
The thing about YouTube is that it’s backed by Google. Google is an online service Empire, so there are plenty of places where YouTube TV could find a home. And this is one reason why it was able to expand so rapidly. YouTube TV isn’t massive compared to on-demand streaming. Companies like Netflix and Disney+ boast over 200 million subscribers. However, YouTube TV is a service for people who still want that traditional television experience.
Also, based on some market research by LRG, it seems that YouTube TV is at the top of the charts when it comes to internet-delivered TV services. As of Q3 2023, YouTube TV has around 6.5 million subscribers, which is a fair amount more than Hulu + live TV. That service boasts about 4.6 million subscribers. Going down the list, Sling TV has about 2.12 million subscribers. Lastly, Fubo boasts about 1.477 million subscribers.
So, YouTube TV is definitely the king of its own domain. Crossing a milestone like this is significant, as many TV providers are losing subscribers at a rapid rate. This should come as no surprise. Getting Netflix is as easy as downloading the app, and putting in your information. Also, it’s relatively inexpensive.
Getting cable, on the other hand, requires hardware installation along with setting up an account, and it’s much more expensive than any streaming service currently on the market. This is why the cable market is struggling, and why many traditional TV channels are partnering with other companies to offer their content via streaming services.