YouTube Red vs. YouTube TV: What’s the Difference?

Are the for-pay versions of the most popular video service on the planet worth your money? We compare the options side by side.

Earlier this year, YouTube took another step into television streaming with the launch of YouTube TV, shortly after the introduction of YouTube Red, a slightly tweaked, ad-free YouTube experience. YouTube proper, of course, is the ad-filled, people's video service, providing endless cat videos, fan commentaries, and increasingly, legit creative programming. YouTube TV is a new experience altogether, competing with the likes of Hulu and Netflix, while YouTube Red simply enhances the YouTube experience you're used to. The two services are fundamentally different, but are either of them worth your money?

YouTube Red vs. YouTube TV

YouTube Red

Red is a $10 upgrade to YouTube that allows members to watch their favorite makeup tutorials, unboxing, and puppy videos without ads, download videos to their mobile devices for viewing later, listen to audio in the background with the YouTube Music app, and access exclusive YouTube Red content, YouTube Music, and Google Play Music.

The original content you get with YouTube Red is made mostly with YouTube personalities that have gained a following on their own, such as Lilly Singh and PewDiePie, but the service has been rapidly adding scripted, reality, documentary, and feature programs. Shows from Ellen DeGeneres, Kevin Hart, and Katy Perry are in development, and at least 40 original programs and movies are planned for the coming year.

If you upgrade to YouTube Red, your new features will work with YouTube Kids and YouTube Gaming, and YouTube Red is accessible in many of the ways you access YouTube. Some features, such as offline playback and background play, are only available in the YouTube mobile apps.

There are a few kinks in the system, however. YouTube Red's ad-free benefits and download capabilities won't work on content you pay for, such as movie or TV episode rentals. And the download feature and background play are available only for YouTube Android and iOS mobile apps on supported devices.

YouTube Red vs. YouTube TV

YouTube TV

At $35 per month, YouTube TV is a robust streaming service aiming to compete with the likes of Sling, Hulu Plus Live TV, and Playstation VUE. The service includes cable network streaming and live broadcast television from local affiliates, along with YouTube Red content. At the time of this writing, there isn't any original content exclusive to YouTube TV.

The network availability is on par with other streaming services. You'll get live programming from the four major broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox), plus popular sports, news, and entertainment networks, such as AMC, BBC America, BBC World News, Bravo, The Disney Channel, ESPN, FX, MSNBC, Telemundo, and others. Showtime and Fox Soccer Plus are available for additional charges. And most networks offer some on-demand content.

YouTube TV also boasts the ability to share the service with six users at once and unlimited cloud DVR functionality. You can view YouTube TV on your Android and iOS devices, Google Chromecast, and via Apple AirPlay. Unfortunately, right now, the service is only available in 15 television markets in the US. It launched to customers in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. As of June, it was available in those markets, plus Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, Houston, Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C. Notably, it's yet not available in tech-centric Seattle.

YouTube Red vs. YouTube TV

The streaming service has a few other shortcomings. YouTube TV isn't available on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, or Roku devices, and is notably missing CNN, TBS, TNT, and Viacom cable networks, such as MTV and Comedy Central, plus CW on demand is only available in certain markets. (For more details, read our full YouTube TV review.)

How Do Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Netflix Stack Up?

The leaders in YouTube TV's increasingly competitive market are Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix. According to a recent report from data and digital media research firm eMarketer cited in an article from the Streaming Observer, Netflix is on track to have more than 120 million subscribers by the end of the year. Netflix subscribers get more than 30 original programs. And that's a number that's expected to double this year (The recent signing of Shonda Rhimes, the award-winning creator of Grey's Anatomy and Scandal, to create original content should help.) There's also a library of about 6,900 movies and TV shows, all of which are delivered ad-free. Netflix doesn't offer live TV streaming, local broadcasting, or premium channels. Its three plans vary in streaming resolution, the ability to download titles for later viewing, and the number of simultaneous streams allowed, but pricing caps out at $11.99 per month.

Amazon Prime Video currently offers about 50 original programs and nearly 20,000 movies and television shows. At $8.99 per month, or included with your Amazon Prime subscription, the service doesn't provide a live TV option yet, but it does offer quality original programming and the ability to subscribe to HBO, Showtime, and Starz for an additional monthly fee.

Hulu's subscribers can access around 40 original programs and more than 10,000 movies and TV shows for as little as $7.99 per month. For $11.99 per month, you get content ad-free, and for $39.99 each month, you get the standard ad-based package plus Hulu With Live TV (still in beta), which adds a comprehensive list of live streaming cable networks and the ability to upgrade further to premium channels, such as Cinemax, HBO, and Showtime.

Can I Use YouTube Red and YouTube TV Together?

YouTube Red is a separate membership, and not bundled with YouTube TV. If you're a YouTube Red and a YouTube TV member, you can watch your YouTube content ad-free, but broadcast and cable content will contain commercials. YouTube Red isn't included in a membership to YouTube TV, though you'll still have access to YouTube Red content.

The two new YouTube paid services offer different features and are aimed at different users. Power YouTube users can easily justify $10 a month for YouTube Red to go ad-free and play content in the background of other apps. The service gives you original programming and Google Play Music, too, but it doesn't offer access to network content, your favorite premium cable content, or broadcast and cable news. It certainly doesn't compare with similarly priced streaming services, such as Hulu and Netflix, when it comes to the number and quality of original and ported content. (Both competitors' plans start at $7.99 per month.)

YouTube TV

YouTube TV compares more favorably than YouTube Red with competitors Netflix and Amazon, but its features are on a similar par as those from DirecTV Now, Hulu with Live TV, and Sony's Playstation VUE, all priced between $30 and $40 per month. Sling is priced starting at $20 per month, but add-ons can add up. At about 40 channels, YouTube TV has significantly fewer networks available than DirecTV Now, which offers 60 for $35, and Sling, which has plans that get you anywhere from about 20 channels for $20, all the way up to around 135 channels for $120 per month. At $39.99 and with similar offerings and limitations, Hulu With Live TV is perhaps YouTube TV's most direct competitor. Neither service's standard packages offer ad-free options (you have to upgrade), and neither is in every television market. The good news? All of these services have no-fee trial periods, starting from one week free. You can test out YouTube TV free for one month.

Which YouTube Is the Right YouTube for You?

So are they worth it? YouTube Red is still the YouTube you know. It doesn't have the content volume of a Netflix or Hulu basic package, but at $10 per month, it's a convenient, flexible option for those who want to nix ads in YouTube, listen to Google Play Music's library, or access content while using other apps. Plus, if you're already a fan of YouTube stars and eager to seek out new programming, you'll have that, too.

If you're in a market served by YouTube TV, use one of the supported devices, and have yet to try out a streaming service, it's worth the free trial. If YouTube TV continues to add markets and networks, it will be worth keeping. For more, see The Best Video Streaming Services.

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