YouTube TV’s hidden ‘genre’ plans: What they are and how to find them

YouTube TV’s cheaper genre plans are finally available to anyone, though they’re still not easy to find.

Instead of just listing all the plans on its welcome page, YouTube TV hides them behind a login wall and a largely useless plan picker menu. There’s simply no easy way to look up every YouTube TV plan with full channel lists and pricing.

So, allow me to do what YouTube won’t do—I’m putting all the YouTube TV genre plans in one place. Chances are you’ll be able to save some money over YouTube TV’s $83 per month standard plan.

We’ll start this journey with a full breakdown of every plan, and the channels offered therein. After you’ve digested all of that—and it’s a lot—I’ll walk you through the labyrinth of signing up on the website.

YouTube TV Entertainment ($55/mo.)

• Local channels: ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS, CW, and Telemundo in most markets. (Check your ZIP code on YouTube’s site for full availability.)
• Entertainment channels: Animal Planet, BET, Bravo, Charge!, CMT, Comet, Comedy Central, Discovery, Discovery Turbo, E!, Food Network, Freeform, FX, FXM, FXX, Game Show Network, Great, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Family, Hallmark Mystery, HGTV, HLN, HSN, ID, Magnolia Network, MTV, OWN, Oxygen True Crime, Paramount Network, Pop, QVC, Roar, Syfy, Tastemade, TCM, The Nest, TLC, Travel Channel, TV Land, VH1, World at War

YouTube TV News + Entertainment ($63/mo.)

• Local channels: ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS, CW, and Telemundo in most markets. (Check your ZIP code on YouTube’s site for full availability.)
• News channels: Cheddar, CNBC, CNN, Fox Business, Fox News, MS Now, Newsmax, NewsNation, TYT
• Entertainment channels: Animal Planet, BET, Bravo, Charge!, CMT, Comet, Comedy Central, Discovery, Discovery Turbo, E!, Food Network, Freeform, FX, FXM, FXX, Game Show Network, Great, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Family, Hallmark Mystery, HGTV, HLN, HSN, ID, Magnolia Network, MTV, OWN, Oxygen True Crime, Paramount Network, Pop, QVC, Roar, Syfy, Tastemade, TCM, The Nest, TLC, Travel Channel, TV Land, VH1, World at War

YouTube TV News + Family ($63/mo.)

• Local channels: ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS, PBS Kids, CW, and Telemundo in most markets. (Check your ZIP code on YouTube’s site for full availability.)
• News channels: Cheddar, CNBC, CNN, Fox Business, Fox News, MS Now, Newsmax, NewsNation, TYT
• Family channels: Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, Disney Jr., Disney XD, National Geographic, National Geographic Wild, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Smithsonian Channel

YouTube TV Entertainment + Family ($63/mo)

• Local channels: ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS, PBS Kids, CW, and Telemundo in most markets. (Check your ZIP code on YouTube’s site for full availability.)
• Entertainment channels: Animal Planet, BET, Bravo, Charge!, CMT, Comet, Comedy Central, Discovery, Discovery Turbo, E!, Food Network, Freeform, FX, FXM, FXX, Game Show Network, Great, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Family, Hallmark Mystery, HGTV, HLN, HSN, ID, Magnolia Network, MTV, OWN, Oxygen True Crime, Paramount Network, Pop, QVC, Roar, Syfy, Tastemade, TCM, The Nest, TLC, Travel Channel, TV Land, VH1, World at War
• Family channels: Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, Disney Jr., Disney XD, National Geographic, National Geographic Wild, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Smithsonian Channel

YouTube TV Sports ($65/mo)

• Local channels: ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS, CW, and Telemundo in most markets. (Check your ZIP code on YouTube’s site for full availability.)
• Sports channels: ACC Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, FS1, FS2, Golf Channel, NBA TV, NBC Sports, NFL Network, PBTV, SEC Network, TBS, Tennis Channel (TC2), TNT, truTV, USA Network

YouTube TV Sports + News ($72/mo)

• Local channels: ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS, CW, and Telemundo in most markets. (Check your ZIP code on YouTube’s site for full availability.)
• Sports channels: ACC Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, FS1, FS2, Golf Channel, NBA TV, NBC Sports, NFL Network, PBTV, SEC Network, TBS, Tennis Channel (TC2), TNT, truTV, USA Network
• News channels: Cheddar, CNBC, CNN, Fox Business, Fox News, MS Now, Newsmax, NewsNation, TYT

YouTube TV Sports + Entertainment ($72/mo)

• Local channels: ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS, CW, and Telemundo in most markets. (Check your ZIP code on YouTube’s site for full availability.)
• Sports channels: ACC Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, FS1, FS2, Golf Channel, NBA TV, NBC Sports, NFL Network, PBTV, SEC Network, TBS, Tennis Channel (TC2), TNT, truTV, USA Network
• Entertainment channels: Animal Planet, BET, Bravo, Charge!, CMT, Comet, Comedy Central, Discovery, Discovery Turbo, E!, Food Network, Freeform, FX, FXM, FXX, Game Show Network, Great, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Family, Hallmark Mystery, HGTV, HLN, HSN, ID, Magnolia Network, MTV, OWN, Oxygen True Crime, Paramount Network, Pop, QVC, Roar, Syfy, Tastemade, TCM, The Nest, TLC, Travel Channel, TV Land, VH1, World at War

YouTube TV Sports + News + Entertainment ($78/mo)

• Local channels: ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS, CW, and Telemundo in most markets. (Check your ZIP code on YouTube’s site for full availability.)
• Sports channels: ACC Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, FS1, FS2, Golf Channel, NBA TV, NBC Sports, NFL Network, PBTV, SEC Network, TBS, Tennis Channel (TC2), TNT, truTV, USA Network
• News channels: Cheddar, CNBC, CNN, Fox Business, Fox News, MS Now, Newsmax, NewsNation, TYT
• Entertainment channels: Animal Planet, BET, Bravo, Charge!, CMT, Comet, Comedy Central, Discovery, Discovery Turbo, E!, Food Network, Freeform, FX, FXM, FXX, Game Show Network, Great, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Family, Hallmark Mystery, HGTV, HLN, HSN, ID, Magnolia Network, MTV, OWN, Oxygen True Crime, Paramount Network, Pop, QVC, Roar, Syfy, Tastemade, TCM, The Nest, TLC, Travel Channel, TV Land, VH1, World at War

YouTube TV Base Plan ($83/mo):

• Local channels: ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS, PBS Kids, CW, and Telemundo in most markets. (Check your ZIP code on YouTube’s site for full availability.)
• Sports channels: ACC Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, FS1, FS2, Golf Channel, NBA TV, NBC Sports, NFL Network, PBTV, SEC Network, TBS, Tennis Channel (TC2), TNT, truTV, USA Network
• Entertainment channels: Animal Planet, BET, Bravo, Charge!, CMT, Comet, Comedy Central, Discovery, Discovery Turbo, E!, Food Network, Freeform, FX, FXM, FXX, Game Show Network, Great, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Family, Hallmark Mystery, HGTV, HLN, HSN, ID, Magnolia Network, MTV, OWN, Oxygen True Crime, Paramount Network, Pop, QVC, Roar, Syfy, Tastemade, TCM, The Nest, TLC, Travel Channel, TV Land, VH1, World at War
• News channels: Cheddar, CNBC, CNN, Fox Business, Fox News Channel, MS Now, Newsmax, NewsNation, TYT
• Family channels: Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, Disney Jr., Disney XD, National Geographic, National Geographic Wild, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Smithsonian Channel

How to get YouTube TV’s genre plans

While YouTube TV’s welcome page includes a direct link to the Sports plan, the other options are tucked out of the way. Here’s how to find them:

• Head to YouTube TV’s website.
• If you’re not signed in already, hit the Sign In button at the top.
• Select “Start free trial.”
• On the plan selection page, scroll down and hit the “Pick a plan” button.
• Select one or more of the genre options and hit the “Get Recommendations” button.
• Choose your plan and finish the sign up process.

If you’re a YouTube TV subscriber already, you can switch to one of the genre plans through your account page.

Note that all of YouTube TV’s genre packages have the same features as the main plan, including unlimited cloud-based DVR (with recordings saved for up to nine months) and streaming on up to three devices at the same time. You can also share a subscription with up to five other people in a Google Family group. (But those members will need to check in at the account’s home address at least once every three months.)

Are YouTube TV’s genre plans worth it?

It’s too bad YouTube TV’s genre plans don’t offer more flexibility. You can’t get standalone versions of its News and Family packages, and every option includes local channels, which are a major contributor to the high price of pay TV.

For even cheaper options, DirecTV’s own genre packs are worth considering. The MyNews plan, for instance, includes both local channels and major cable news networks for $40 per month, which is $23 less than YouTube’s cheapest news offering. If you can do without local channels, DirecTV’s MyEntertainment plan ($35 per month) and MyKids plan ($20 per month) could save you even more.

Still, YouTube TV’s genre plans provide some modest savings by letting you lop off some channels you never watch—provided you can find them first.

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