Youtube is growing as a TV competitor
No one could have predicted how much of a player YouTube would become, not only in personal entertainment, but e-commerce also. Influencers on YouTube have been using the channel and influencer marketing applications like Neoreach have been exploiting the reach of YouTube for quite some time. Wanting to go beyond computer screens, YouTube has also been trying to position itself as a TV competitor for a while now. It is not until now can we say it is making real headway. Over 100 million hours of its clips are being viewed on actual television sets every day.
Most of that growth has occurred over the past year, with a 70 percent growth in viewing numbers. Those stats come from Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who announced them as part of his prepared remarks during Google parent Alphabet’s earnings call. For the record: Pichai says, “YouTube is logging 100 million hours of watch time in the living room every day”; a Google rep confirmed that he was talking about TVs connected to the internet, either directly or via devices like Roku boxes or gaming consoles.
YouTube is has now become an all-encompassing media platform that anybody can access at any time, providing everything from top-quality entertainment to the latest in viral videos that suits anyone’s interest. To many, it acts as a substitute to television, or even Netflix, taking the role of sole provider for individuals' entertainment.
YouTube TV, meanwhile, provides a variety of different channels. Like TV channels they are individualized to provide different types of content depending on the viewers wants and needs. The differences between this and television lie in a few areas, such as the channel quality, the actual content, and the viewer/creator relationship.
Right now, YouTube delivers both local and national programming and is available in over fifty different metropolitan markets. Do not confuse the free YouTube.com and YouTube TV. YouTube TV is one of the growing options for those that want to opt out of traditional cable TV.
YouTube TV is only available on Android and iOS apps for phones and tablets, and can also stream to computers. To watch it on a big screen one must use Google Chromecast or Airplay via an Apple TV. By comparison, all of YouTube TV's competitors have real, big-screen apps on TV-connected platforms and devices like game consoles, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Android TV.
At this point in time YouTube is offering its TV service for $35.00 per month, and this is without a contract. There are more than 40 networks, with ten sports networks available. YouTube TV does include a cloud DVR that will record as many shows as the user wants, without taking any memory away from the mobile device.
The mobile YouTube application has three main screens, and a universal search. There is a Library screen that shows everything that has been recorded. There is also a Home screen that shows what has been watched recently, as well as recommendations based on what has been watched. It shows what has been recorded and stopped, so the user can continue to watch if they so desire. There is also a Help screen in case there is a question or concern.
YouTube TV is only available to US consumers currently, and limited to the largest US markets. Do expect the consumers and locations to grow at an incredible rate. After all, look at YouTube and what it has done.