Google has just announced its newest TV streaming service, the Youtube TV, which is like Hulu but has the potential to be way better. For one, Youtube subscribers already have the standalone app in their mobile for easy access to a whole range of content that Youtube says will be about three dozen cable channels and four big broadcast networks as part of the "skinny bundle." Moreover, Google's technology ensures that the TV service ranks high in "reliability and scalability" that most digital TV services have long struggled with. It is apparent then that Youtube is well-positioned and has the technology to carve a niche in the digital TV market, but it may not have the content that most Youtube users will want to watch like MTV, Comedy Central or even HBO.

ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC along with other channels connected with the broadcasters like ESPN, Fox News, and Bravo complete the launch lineup of Youtube TV as of now. There are about 35 channels as part of the "skinny bundle" for the $35 a month TV service. Big networks like Time Warner, Viacom, and AMC are not part of the base package although Google is not discounting their inclusion in the future. Incidentally, Disney-partly-owned Hulu, 21st Century Fox, Comcast and Time Warner will also launch their own pay TV bundle reportedly this spring.

Youtube TV may also launch this spring and it is a separate entity form Youtube Red, the ad-free subscription service which was launched last year but has not had much patronage. Google's new streaming service will be launched first on the mobile platform, which means that Youtube is expecting its billion-plus users to be paying subscribers watching content on their smartphones. The same kind of content may also be watched using traditional devices like laptops or mainstream TVs using Google's Chromecast devices, according to Recode.

The main features of Youtube TV that distinguish it from other digital TV services is that it has the Cloud DVR with an unlimited amount of storage to keep recordings of favorite shows. Hulu is setting up this feature as an add-on. Moreover, Google's AI will also be making a recommendation system of what content to watch for easy and convenient access. Google will also be lending its technology for reliable and scalable TV streaming services.

However, Youtube TV has clearly gaps in content that could dissuade potential subscribers. In the end, the choice still boils down on whether the programming is suited to the viewers' tastes and preferences. Also, digital TV services are still limited particularly when it comes to Pro Football coverage for not a single one is permitted to stream to smartphones, a right exclusive to Verizon. As of now, Google's streaming service has no distinguishing feature to steal customers away from its competitors or introduce TV to a younger generation of kids only familiar with Youtube, Snapchat or the occasional Netflix shows according to The Verge.

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Topics Google, Hulu, YouTube