YouTube TV has been around since 2017, but ever since its launch, there’s been one glaring omission in the list of devices that support the live-TV streaming service: Amazon’s popular Fire TV streamers. The reason was Google and Amazon’s famous feud — a tit-for-tat spat that only ended in April 2019. Now, the promise of reconciliation has finally become concrete as Amazon has just announced its formal support of YouTube TV on pretty much every Fire TV device.
Wondering what YouTube TV is and how it differs from regular ol’ YouTube? We’ve got a full, in-depth explainer that covers all of the bases, but in a nutshell, it’s an internet-based replacement for cable and satellite subscriptions, giving users access to more than 70 live-TV channels for $50 per month. It’s not the only service to do this — there are now many companies, including Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, AT&T TV Now, FuboTV, and Playstation Vue, that all offer live-TV packages. YouTube TV also includes access to YouTube Originals content.
YouTube TV is one of the newest of these services and has been rapidly expanding its reach, its channel selection, and its features. Once only available in a subset of U.S. markets, you can now subscribe regardless of where you live as long as it’s in the U.S. With the addition of Amazon’s Fire TV devices, YouTube TV is now as well-supported as the incumbents. The only exceptions to its Fire TV support are the first-generation Fire TV Stick and the first-generation Fire TV.
Getting on the Fire TV platform is an important step for YouTube TV. The cord-cutting wars are heating up quickly and consumers that haven’t already decided on a replacement for their cable package are beginning to do so in growing numbers. Part of the decision-making process will be to determine if a given live-TV service is available on the hardware these people already own. If you have a Fire TV device that you’re happy with, it’s unlikely you’d ditch it in favor of say, an Apple TV, just to get YouTube TV.
Curious about your live-TV streaming options? There are plenty of them, and now’s a good time to check them out — here are the best ones so far.
