YouTube TV is finally adding new channels, and not a moment too soon. The service raised prices by $8 per month back in March, without any real perks to make up for it.
Months later, a salve for that sting is here. On Thursday (June 1), YouTube TV tweeted out the news that seven new channels were coming. The biggest network coming to all tiers is the Magnolia Network, which houses Chip & Joanna Gaines' home and lifestyle-focused content (which is also now on Max, the new HBO Max).
This is the latest expansion for Magnolia, as best cable TV alternative rival Hulu + Live TV gained Magnolia Network and the PBS (Public Broadcasting System) networks in May.
Other channels coming to the YouTube TV include internet content curator TBD TV, action network Charge! and the tennis-focused T2 channel. These are best known as free ad-supported TV (FAST) networks, the likes of which you'd normally see in The Roku Channel, Pluto and Tubi, three of the best free streaming services.
YouTube TV's other new channels appear in its add-on tiers. The Tennis Channel finally returns to the $10.99 per month Sports Plus add-on plan. This is arguably perfect or too-late timing, as some may have switched to somewhere else to watch the French Open live streams.
Lastly, YouTube TV's Spanish Plan ($34.99 per month) & Spanish Plus ($14.99 per month) gain the Tr3s and Hogar de HGTV lifestyle networks.
Analysis: YouTube TV has other tricks to get people to come back or stay
Back in April, a YouTube TV video quality upgrade was teased, as the service noted it's working on Picture Quality Experiments. This should reduce signs of compression in video, for a cleaner image. It could become wide-spread and permanent as early as this summer, though it will focus on “devices that support the VP9 codec with high-speed internet connection," which isn't a widely publicized spec for some of the best streaming devices.
YouTube TV's also been rolling out multiview, for watching multiple channels at once. Unfortunately, it's been managed on YouTube TV's end to start, for the NCAA March Madness games. The company's said it hopes to refine it further by the fall's NFL live streams.
