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YouTube TV’s Live Guide Now Has A Clock

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YouTube TV has added a clock to the live TV guide making it possible to quickly check the exact time while looking for something to watch. Although a relatively small change, it is a highly useful one. Not to mention, one that has routinely been requested by YouTube TV users over the years.

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In general, the YouTube TV live guide is fairly easy to use and navigate. On some devices, it comes with an On Now row highlighting various shows and movies that are playing live, along with their start and end times. On all devices, the live guide includes a more traditional-looking TV guide with each channel listing what’s on now and coming next.

However, the guide has never actually displayed the time anywhere on any device. Even though the blocks in the guide do somewhat make it easy to figure out how far away the start time for an episode or movie is, it still requires some figuring out.

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Again, the actual layout of the live section does depend on the device and platform, but here’s a look at how the YouTube TV live guide used to look on Google TV.

YouTube TV live TV guide 2022
Old YouTube TV live guide (Google TV)

For those that have wanted YouTube TV to add a clock, it is now happening. YouTube TV is currently in the process of rolling out an updated guide which includes a clock in the upper-left corner. As the user scrolls down the list of channels, the interface adjusts accordingly to ensure the clock always remains in view. Here’s how the new guide (with clock) looks on Google TV.

YouTube TV live TV guide with clock
YouTube TV live guide with clock (Google TV)

While a minor change in general, this is a feature that has been routinely requested by users. From a quick check of Reddit, subscribers have been requesting a clock from as recently as May of this year to as far back as June of 2018. Needless to say, those who have been waiting more than four years for a clock will be especially happy with the latest update to the live guide.

It is worth keeping in mind that the updated guide with clock is still in the process of rolling out. For us, it is visible on devices running Google TV but not on some other devices, including Apple TV players. The clock also only appears to have been added to living room devices, although mobile and desktop users will probably have less need for one due to the status bar/taskbar typically showing the time.

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For reference, the change doesn’t appear to be related to an actual app update, so there’s no need for subscribers to check if a new version of the YouTube TV app is available. Instead, subscribers that are not seeing the clock will have to wait until YouTube TV manually pushes the live guide change to their devices. In other words, it may take some time to arrive on Apple TV.

John Finn

By John Finn

John started Streaming Better to help consumers navigate the live TV streaming and subscription service landscape. John has been editing and writing about technology and streaming for online publications since 2014, and believes the best streaming approach is to rotate between services as needed.

John's preferred live TV streaming service right now is YouTube TV although he does tend to switch live TV services multiple times each year to keep up to date with their changes. Outside of live TV, John also actively streams HBO Max (for the shows), Peacock (for Premier League), and Paramount Plus (for Champion's League). However, John is also currently subscribed to Apple TV+, Discovery+, Hulu, Starz, Showtime, and Shudder.

Contact John via email at john@streamingbetter.com or say hi on Twitter

8 replies on “YouTube TV’s Live Guide Now Has A Clock”

It looks like the rollout has started with Google TV devices and I’ve heard mixed reports about it being available on Roku, so may take some time to show up on your specific devices.

I have Sony Bravia that says Google tv in upper left corner of Home Screen, so if it rolled out to Google Tv devices I would think I should have it. I DO NOT.

It is the process of rolling out. These screenshots were also taken on a Sony Bravia TV, so I would expect yours to get it soon enough.

I am happily using YouTube TV on my Apple TV, but still waiting for my clock to appear. Has anyone using Apple TV been included in the roll out?

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