YouTube TV Review: Is It Honestly Worth $83 a Month in 2026?

No need to be tech-savvy to navigate YouTube TV. If you’ve used YouTube before, then you’ll know exactly how to navigate YouTube TV. It has an intuitive, user-friendly interface with a simple navigation bar that allows you to view your library, scroll through your homepage, go to live TV, or search for content. No need to read a manual.

DVR durability: I put YouTube TV’s "unlimited" claims to the test by recording everything from kids' movies to news episodes to late-night reality TV to see if the interface could handle a cluttered library. It can! 

Family stream stress test: I managed two simultaneous streams across different rooms. I put Peppa Pig on the living room TV for my kids while I watched Impractical Jokers on truTV on my laptop. There was no lag and no "Screen Limit" notifications. Everyone was happy.

Extreme channel surfing: I “hate-watched” everything I could click on from episodes of popular reality TV shows like Real Housewives, multiple live sporting events, cooking shows, movies, and even some local news segments. Everything that could rot my brain was a click away, with flawless streaming, no lags, no hiccups.

Content junkies, you’re going to be in heaven.

Here are some of YouTube TV’s most exciting features:

• Unlimited DVR, recordings kept for nine months
• Up to six user profiles per subscription (with personalized recommendations for each)
• Watch on multiple device types like TVs, phones, and tablets
• Unlock unlimited simultaneous streams for only $9.99/month
• Multiview allows you to watch four games or streams at once on one screen
• See live fantasy scores and stats directly on your screen
• Hide scores for recorded games to avoid spoilers
• Smart catch-up allows you to quickly jump to important moments in recorded games for specific players or play types

Have you ever wanted to keep tabs on four programs at once without having to use multiple devices or flip back and forth? YouTube TV offers a flexible Multiview feature that allows two to four shows to play at the same time on a single screen.

You can customize your screens with live games, news, and a variety of other channels from a pre-set list. When I used Multiview, I was able to watch a live KUTV news channel at 4:30 PM, a Law and Order episode, ESPN College GameDay, and the Notre Dame at Connecticut game on Fox.

This feature is perfect for the avid sports fan who wants to keep tabs on multiple games at once. My kids—who constantly fight over who gets to choose what to watch—excitedly told me they could each watch what they wanted on the same screen. I’m not saying it’s a good idea, I’m saying it’s possible.

Important note: While you can use the Multiview feature on your phone and TV, you cannot use it on your laptop.

YouTube TV’s channel lineup makes it one of the most well-rounded TV services for cord-cutters. Most people and families could live happily with the channels this live TV streaming service provides. If you just want to “turn on the TV” without having to decide what you want to watch, YouTube TV is going to make you happy.

If you’re a mom like me, you’ll love PBS kids, Nick JR. and the live TV feature of Bluey reruns. But don’t forget the massive library of reality TV channels like Bravo, HGTV, Discovery, or ABC for a marathon of Shark Tank and Real Housewives episodes. The movie channels also offer a ton of value, especially for movie marathons on Saturdays or around the holidays. When my kids wanted to watch the classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, I would have had to pay around $10 to buy it on Prime. Because I have YouTube TV, we were able to watch it at no extra cost when it aired on Freeform. That alone made the subscription feel worth it, especially during the holidays when you finally have the time to binge-watch seasonal classics to your heart’s content.

You won’t find these channels on YouTube TV:

• Tennis Channel
• PAC-12 Network
• MLB Network
• History Channel
• A&E
• Lifetime & Lifetime Movies
• Vice
• FYI
• Bally Sports
• YES Network
• NESN
• Marquee Sports Network
• REELZ
• Newsmax
• Science Channel

While you can buy many extra channels on your YouTube TV plan, many of the above-listed channels are not available at all. If these are important to you, you may want to consider other top streaming service providers.

Also, a bonus feature lets you hide channels you’re not interested in.

YouTube TV is intuitive, easy to navigate, and offers a flawless watching experience.

While DirecTV carries Regional Sports Networks you won’t find on YouTube TV, get ready to pay $115 per month. Sling TV is surprisingly affordable for budget users who want a smaller range of channels. You’ll pay about half the price of YouTube TV. Hulu + Live TV is about $90, but it offers $12.99 and $19.99 bundles that include Disney+ and ESPN Select. Finally, Fubo will get you the 4K broadcasts of major games for free, while YouTube TV charges an extra $9.99 for that feature.

YouTube TV is the closest you can get to a one-stop shop for sports. Instead of juggling a few different streaming subscriptions and manually hunting for games every week, YouTube TV is the single solution—well, almost. Viewers still need Prime for Thursday night football. My colleague, Cai Crawford, explained the situation in a way only a true football fan can appreciate:

YouTube TV offers over 35 sports-specific channels, and it also has a Sports Plus add-on package ($10.99/mo.) that includes the NFL RedZone Channel, plus 15 to 20 other sports-specific channels such as beIN Sports, Tennis Channel, Fox Soccer Plus, Fight Network, and Stadium.

So for all you NFL and soccer fans, you can get a more complete sports lineup with YouTube TV's new channels and its Sports Plus add-on for about $94 per month. And with the newest 2026 YouTube TV Sports Plan (the plan price is still up in the air), you could skip all the entertainment channels and just pay for the games, and save some extra dollars while you’re at it.

After the season is over, you can simply cancel the add-on if you'd like.

YouTube TV includes the following sports channels in its lineup:

• ACC Network (ACCN)
• Big Ten Network (BTN)
• CBS Sports Network
• ESPN, ESPN2
• ESPNews
• ESPNU
• FOX Sports (FS1), FS2
• Golf Channel
• NBA TV
• NBC Sports Network
• NFL Network
• SEC Network
• T2
• MLB Network
• NHL Network

Most NFL fans will benefit from the NFL RedZone Channel for the Sunday games, so take a look at our comparison of NFL RedZone Channel vs. NFL Sunday Ticket.

Are you a die-hard football fan who can’t miss a Sunday afternoon game? Don’t miss out on the NFL Sunday Ticket that you can either add to your base YouTube TV plan or buy as a standalone package. It typically costs $480 for the full season, but you could potentially snag it for $200 to $300 with certain discounts.

Other than access to the teams you follow, YouTube TV allows you to watch your games on three screens at the same time, plus enjoy the Multiview feature on each screen.

Beyond just access to your favorite teams, YouTube TV lets you stream on three different devices at once. You can even use the Multiview feature on those screens to watch up to four games simultaneously—just make sure you have a strong internet connection or connect one device to an ethernet cord.

It’s perfect for:

• Out-of-market fans who want to catch every Sunday afternoon game
• Fantasy players who want to follow multiple teams or specific players
• Multi-view users who want to catch multiple simultaneous games

You should skip it if you’re:

• Just a casual fan of your local games
• Satisfied with the games you catch on CBS/FOX
• Looking for Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, Thursday Night Football, or playoff games

Bonus for sports fans

Click the information button on your game to get details of the current score and the lineup. If you’re watching a recording, you can even see the final score and stats.

• Is it too expensive? If the new $83 price tag is a dealbreaker, see our breakdown of the recent YouTube TV Price Hike to decide if the value still balances out.
• Having technical issues? If you already have the service but it isn't loading, check our troubleshooting guide on YouTube TV Not Working for quick fixes.
• Ready to switch? View plans and sign up to start your 21-day free trial.