According to a 2017 July report by Marketing Charts, the state of traditional television has seen a steady drop for the last six years. This data is reflective of how viewers in the United States are making the switch from traditional TV to streaming services. It is undeniable how the consumption of Streaming Video has grown at such a fast pace and many groups are taking note of such trend, including Youtube.
What is YouTube TV?
Google's YouTube TV is the company's approach to marrying the top streaming video site with the programming of traditional TV.
Subscribers are entitled to easy access to four of the major broadcast networks as well as a bundle of over 50 cable channels. Among these channels include popular news, entertainment, and sports properties such as Disney, ABC, NBC, FOX, and ESPN.
YouTube TV also features the stellar Cloud DVR, which allows real-time recording and saving of shows. It is just like the TiVo, except that everything is online. This unlimited storage can last for up to nine months, which is clearly an advantage over its competition. With a monthly fee of $35, the user gets to take these shows on the go. Well, at least to cities where the service is available.
Bigger coverage
YouTube TV was only available in five cities when it was launched back in April.
Among its initial markets were Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Two months after, it expanded to ten more cities across the United States. This includes Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, Houston, Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne, Phoenix, and Washington, DC.
Today, Google announced that the streaming service has expanded to eight more markets namely Albuquerque, Austin, Birmingham, Greenville, Norfolk, Portland, Raleigh, and Sacramento. This makes the feature available to a total of twenty-nine cities all over the U.S. These expansions prove to be steady since its initial debut.
For some, however, the rollout is relatively slow.
Why the slow rollout?
With some markets growing impatient of the slow roll out of Youtube TV, the company is making significant effort to meet the demand. The delay is rooted in the fact that the feature is dependent on the four major broadcast networks. This heavy reliance compensates for its lack of channels such as those under the Viacom networks. Therefore, the service requires working with affiliates in each market where it both currently operates and wishes to launch. Considering its competitors' availability nationwide, the company sure needs to speed up the expansion. Youtube says that new cities will be added to the portfolio in a couple of weeks.
