As promised, Amazon finally launched YouTube TV — Google’s $50-per-month internet pay-TV package — for most of its Fire TV devices.
The move comes after Amazon and Google reached détente on their years-long business spat earlier this year. Under the agreement, in July, Amazon launched the free YouTube app on Fire TV devices while Google added native Amazon Prime Video support to Chromecast.
According to Amazon, the YouTube TV app is now available on Fire TV Stick (second generation), Fire TV Stick 4K, the most recent Fire TV Cube, and all Toshiba, Insignia, Element and Westinghouse Fire TV Edition smart TVs. In addition, the YouTube TV is available on previous generation Fire TV devices including the first-generation Fire TV Cube, the second-gen Fire TV, and the third-gen pendant design Fire TV. (The YouTube TV app is not compatible with first-generation Fire TV Stick or Fire TV models).
YouTube TV competes not only with traditional cable and satellite TV providers but with a newer generation of over-the-top pay-TV providers. Those include Hulu With Live TV; Dish’s Sling TV; AT&T TV and AT&T TV Now (formerly called DirecTV Now); Sony’s PlayStation Vue; Fubo TV; and Philo.
YouTube TV provides over 70 channels, including local networks from all four major broadcasters — ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC — in nearly all U.S. markets as well as cable networks including Discovery, TNT, CNN, ESPN, and FX. The service provides has unlimited cloud DVR storage space (with recordings stored for up to nine months) and up to six accounts per household.