À la carte TV is a myth. The idea that you can subscribe to — and pay for — channels individually is just something that the money folks will never let happen. The closest we’re going to get is with something like Sling TV, which sports smaller packages with a plethora of add-ons that you can mix and match.
But YouTube TV is now doing something a little different, giving you the opportunity to subscribe to a number of networks on their own without also subscribing to the $65-a-month base YouTube TV plan.
To be clear, these aren’t linear channels. You’re not, say, opting to get Comedy Central, TBS, and AMC on their own for $5 each or anything, but you are able to grab optional add-ons on their own.
Here’s the full list of what’s currently available:
- ALLBLK
- Acorn
- CONtv
- Cinemax
- Curiosity Stream
- Docurama
- Dove
- EPIX
- HBO Max
- Hallmark Movies Now
- IFC Films Unlimited
- Law & Crime
- MLB.TV
- NBA League Pass
- Outside TV Features
- STARZ
- Showtime
- Shudder
- Sundance Now
- VSiN
Prices range from just a buck or three to $15 for something like HBO Max. Everything will then be billed through your Google account. You’ll still get the bulk of the general YouTube TV experience: unlimited recording and the ability to watch on three devices at once, as well as up to six accounts per household. And you’ll still be able to watch outside your home network so long as you’re in the United States.
YouTube TV is the biggest live streaming service in the United States, with more than 5 million subscribers as of June 2022. It’s available on every major hardware platform, including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Chromecast with Google TV, Apple TV, various smart TV systems, gaming consoles, and in web browsers. It’s also one of the only way you can stream live events in 4K resolution; just get ready to pay a bit more.
