Although it’s been some time since YouTube TV provided any firm numbers on its subscriber base, it has now provided an update, and at more than 5 million subscribers, it’s an impressive update. While YouTube TV first launched in 2017, it wasn’t until 2019 when the service first claimed to offer nationwide access to live TV. Since then, its user base has steadily continued to increase.
YouTube has now confirmed that it has reached five million subscribers, as of June 2022. It is worth mentioning that the blog post announcing the milestone does specifically state “5 million subscribers and trialers” so it remains to be seen exactly how many of them are paid subscribers and how many are currently taking advantage of a free trial. Regardless of the exact number, it is an important milestone and one that indicates YouTube TV is now the most popular live TV streaming service in the US.
Previously, it had been understood that YouTube TV was serving around 4 million subscribers. However, Hulu Live TV has also been constantly circulating around the four-million subscriber marker as well. As of May 2022, Hulu confirmed it was delivering Live TV to 4.1 million subscribers. Even though it remains to be seen how many Hulu will add in the current quarter, if any, it is unlikely to confirm anywhere near as many subscribers as YouTube TV now claims. That’s even taking into consideration a fairly liberal number of users on a free trial.
In reality, it is not too surprising that YouTube TV now appears to be cementing its positioning as the most popular live TV service. It is one of the best live TV streaming services around, and offers plenty of additional value through premium features. Considering the cost of YouTube TV, a subscription is still going to be out of reach of many households. However, and as the market now seems to be unfolding, YouTube TV is not really any more expensive than comparable services. In fact, the rising cost of streaming live TV through competing services is likely one of the factors that has helped YouTube TV reach its latest 5 million subscriber milestone.
