:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/53468391/usa_today_8860767.0.jpg)
YouTube, the biggest modern media giant of them all, has now announced arguably their biggest power play yet against traditional cable providers – live stream television services.
The new service will allow subscribers in US markets to get access on any connected device to networks such as ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC, along with "sports networks and dozens of popular cable networks," according to YouTube.
Set to launch in the coming months, YouTube TV will cost $35 monthly, with six user accounts allowed per subscriber, positioning itself to compete against so-called "skinny bundles" from Dish Network's Sling TV and AT&T's DirecTV Now.
"YouTube TV is designed specifically for the needs of a new generation of TV fans who want to watch what they want, when they want, how they want without commitment," Wojcicki said during a press briefing streamed from YouTube offices in Southern California.
We still do not have any information as to how watching football in local media markets will be affected by this service, but I imagine that networks like CBS and FOX had thought about how to implement their region-based programming long before this deal was announced. It should also be noted that YouTube will allow their customers to record live-streamed TV directly to their cloud server network - which will have unlimited storage space - that can be played back later at the consumer’s leisure.
In a time where convenience, thriftiness, and “skinny bundles” are all the rage, this latest shift in the media landscape could be just what frugal football fans everywhere needed to watch games on a budget.