San Diegans had to wait six months to get YouTube TV after its initial debut, but now that the highly anticipated, $35-per-month skinny bundle has arrived, you’re probably wondering if you should switch. At least I am.

This cord-cutter is, as regular readers of this column know, yoked to Sling TV, primarily because of the $20-per-month price tag. I signed up early on, so I was grandfathered into new releases at no extra cost, including Sling Blue (which comes with Fox Sports San Diego and normally costs $5 more per month) and DVR (also normally $5 more a month).

It’s hard to give up.

But, truthfully, YouTube TV is pretty compelling — and for a reason that was very unexpected. Because what I initially thought would detract from the viewing experience is actually kind of a delight.


I’m talking about the YouTube TV smartphone app (available on iPhone and Android), which acts as the primary interface and the only remote if you wish to view on a television set. Shows are “cast” from the app to your TV by way of Google’s Chromecast streaming stick or through Airplay on Apple TV.

So unlike all of the other streaming cable alternatives, there is no dedicated TV app. That’s probably a deal-breaker for Roku and Amazon Fire TV owners who prefer the app/channel experience.

I thought I was in that boat too. But I dusted off the Chromecast and found myself pleasantly surprised. Not because casting is a superior experience, per se, but because the YouTube TV phone app is just so fun to use.

Why?


Take everything you hate about convoluted TV guides and messy interfaces and chuck it out the window. The YouTube TV mobile app has none of that.

If you want to find a channel, show or sports team, just search for it using your fingers, which is just so much easier than trying to hunt and peck for letters with a remote.

Beyond that, the app features just three tabs: Library, Home and Live. Select Live for a scrollable feed of what’s on right now. Tap Home to browse through a personalized feed of recommended shows, sporting events and movies. Or hit Library to access recorded programs, organized into four categories: Shows, Movies, Sports and Events.

My favorite feature, though, is search. It’s as simple to use as Google search, with a voice search option, and hiding some handy extras. Click the familiar search icon and you’ll get your standard search bar with a few gems below to help you find your way. Scroll down, for instance, and you’ll see a clickable/scrollable list of sports leagues, making it super easy to find your favorite team and add it to your library.


By the way, adding anything to your library, using the + button, queues up related programs for recording.

What follows are some other things, both good and bad, to consider when deciding if YouTube TV is right for you. Personally, I’m still on the fence. I plan to give the 30-day trial a full spin before making my final decision.

Channel selection: You get a lot with YouTube TV (the full list is below), including Fox Sports San Diego and the big broadcast networks, but you also don’t get some entertainment favorites. Most notably, you won’t get popular Turner stations such as CNN, HGTV, TBS and TNT. Food Network is also absent.

Fast-forwading: YouTube TV’s DVR comes with unlimited storage, but it does have some viewing restrictions. Depending on the network, for instance, some material may only be available on-demand, meaning no fast-forwarding and a few ads. But I didn’t encounter that in my initial test.


I recorded episodes of “Flipping Out,” “Law & Order” and “The Sinner.” I also DVR’d the Chargers pre-season game against the 49ers. I was able to fast-forward as much or as little as I wanted. (The only caveat is that due to NFL licensing restrictions, I couldn’t watch the Chargers game on my phone. But that’s true whether I want to watch live or later.)

Ideal audience: I don’t think Google is purposely favoring any one demographic, but my guess is that YouTube TV will appeal to mostly mobile-attuned millennials. As in, youngsters who appreciate having the smartphone app as their primary interface.

My suspicions were partly confirmed after comparing notes with fellow reporter, Luis Gomez, 34, who just signed up. He’s already a fan.

Gomez is what’s called a cord-never, meaning he’s never paid for cable.


“I use Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBO Now and other streaming apps on the Roku and my iPad,” he said. “As someone who will be using (YouTube TV) primarily to watch sports, this is perfect because it has all the sports channels you normally don’t get with a basic cable subscription.”

Chromecast: Viewing on your TV is best accomplished with Google’s Chromecast. Thankfully, YouTube TV will send you one free of charge after your first month’s payment. If you don’t have a Chromecast already and can suffer without one for the 30-day free trial period, then this is a nice little perk.

To discuss YouTube TV and all other things streaming TV, join our Facebook group, SDUT cord-cutters.

YouTube TV channels available in San Diego

Broadcast networks: ABC, CBS, CW, FOX, NBC


Sports: Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN U, Fox Sports San Diego, FS1, FS2, Golf Channel, NBC Sports, SEC Network, Tennis Channel

News: BBC America, BBC World News, CNBC, Fox Business, Fox News, MSNBC, Newsy

Entertainment: AMC, Bravo, Chiller, E!, Freeform, FX, FXM, FXX, IFC, Nat Geo, Nat Geo Wild, Oxygen, Sundance, SyFy, USA, WE TV, YouTube Red Originals

Kids: Disney Channel, Disney Jr, Disney XD, Sprout


Spanish: Telemundo, Universo

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jennifer.vangrove@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1840 Twitter: @jbruin