Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

How many subscribers does YouTube TV have?

YouTube TV is now the biggest streaming service for live, linear television in the United States, at more than 5 million subscribers as of July 2022.

That number comes straight from YouTube itself. It’s only the second such update we’ve gotten on subscriptions, the last coming in October 2020, when YouTube TV said it had “more than 3 million” subscribers.

Recommended Videos

And that’s as accurate as we’re probably going to get anytime soon. Not only does YouTube (or Alphabet/Google, if you want to throw the umbrella companies into the mix) not give subscriber updates on the regular, it also doesn’t do so with any great fidelity.

Phil Nickinson/Digital Trends

YouTube TV’s direct competitors, meanwhile, offer up subscriptions numbers along with their parent companies’ quarterly earnings. And so long as everyone’s books are on the up and up (and we have no reason to believe they aren’t), YouTube TV’s latest subscriber update definitely puts it in the No. 1 spot, insofar as subs go.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Hulu With Live TV sits squarely in the middle of the pack, with 4.1 million subscribers as of April 2022. Hulu Live basically has hovered there at the 4 million mark since October 2020, not dipping any lower since 3.7 million since then. Sling TV is the next biggest streaming service in the U.S., at 2.2 million subscribers as of the first quarter of 2022. And it’s pretty much been in that ballpark for the past couple years, topping out at 2.5 million subs in the third quarter of 2021. FuboTV, meanwhile, has been hovering around 1 million subs the past few quarters.

YouTube TV’s numbers are all the more impressive given that there was a bit of uncertainty surrounding the great YouTube TV vs. Roku Kerfuffle of 2021. Roku, of course, is the biggest streaming platform in the United States. And toward the end of 2021 the two companies struggled to reach a new deal that would keep YouTube and YouTube TV on Roku. (Whether that was all Roku’s fault or YouTube TV’s fault very much depended on your point of view.)

Regardless, everyone kissed and made up (and reached whatever financial agreement needed to be reached), and any subscriber churn apparently was staunched.

What led YouTube TV’s growth, then, while the other streaming services have pretty much held pat? For sure, it remains a strong service. It’s got a channel lineup that’s both greater in numbers and easier in use than its competitors. (The latter is subjective, of course.) It’s great on a TV. It’s great on a mobile device.

But YouTube TV also has had an extremely strong marketing push the past few years. You can’t watch the NBA Finals or World Series without seeing the YouTube TV logo early and often. Then there’s the internal advertising possibilities with YouTube itself, plus anywhere else Google wants to put YouTube TV in front of you.

The only remaining questions, then, are how much more growth YouTube TV will see — and how much longer we’ll have to wait before we get updated numbers again.

Phil Nickinson
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Phil spent the 2000s making newspapers with the Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal, the 2010s with Android Central and then the…
How to watch The Weather Channel without cable
The Weather Channel on Roku.

There are a million ways to get information on the weather these days. Windows, for one. Computers for another. Random people on Instagram and TikTok who suddenly are experts in meteorology for a third. But for a lot of folks, it's still all about The Weather Channel — the ubiquitous channel that, appropriately enough, is all about The Weather. On a Channel.

And, unfortunately, it's time for many in Florida and the rest of the Southeast to keep their eyes glued on The Weather Channel as Hurricane Milton makes landfall this week in the Tampa Bay Area before cleaving its way through the center of the state. Miami looks like it should mostly be spared. Same goes for Northwest Florida, where I live. But models are also starting to show a possible follow-up storm later in the month.

Read more
What is YouTube Music? Everything you need to know
iPhone 15 Pro Max showing the YouTube Music app.

YouTube, long renowned for its vast video library, has quietly established itself as a formidable music streaming service. Its dedicated app, YouTube Music, offers a curated collection of songs, albums, and podcasts catering to various music lovers. With millions of songs and countless music videos, YouTube Music boasts a comprehensive catalog that rivals industry giants like Spotify and Apple Music.

The app utilizes advanced algorithms to suggest music based on your listening habits, ensuring a tailored and enjoyable experience. YouTube Premium subscribers can download their favorite tracks for offline playback, perfect for commutes, workouts, or areas with limited internet connectivity.

Read more
What is YouTube Premium? Price, content, and more
YouTube Music

When it comes to watching videos on the internet, YouTube is the most common place to do it. That includes everything from entertainment to recordings of work events to the newest music videos and live-streaming conferences. However, while YouTube is free to watch, it does come with a deluge of ads. If you're tired of dealing with ads interrupting your videos, and sitting through them before and after videos, then a YouTube Premium subscription is the option to check out. This eliminates ads while browsing or watching videos.

The YouTube family of products can be a bit confusing, however. In addition to YouTube Premium, there are other paid services like YouTube Music, YouTube TV, and the now-defunct YouTube Go, plus some free movies on YouTube you don't want to miss. But the price for YouTube Premium has changed since it launched, so it's worth taking some time to consider how much you'll be paying and whether it's worth it for you -- or even if you could save some money by using options like the YouTube Premium family plan or the free trial.

Read more