A few months ago, Google took wraps off YouTube TV, a service for live-streaming TV content at an affordable rate. With this move, Google will look to compete with the likes of Optimum, Verizon, and DirecTV. Today, the service has officially been made available in five major U.S. cities.

Those located in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, and Philadelphia are first eligible to try out Google’s new YouTube TV service. The tech giant plans to roll out availability to all U.S. states as well as additional countries later this year. The initial launch is to act as a test run just make sure all is working properly.

YouTube TV goes for $35 per month, but consumers can first try the service free for thirty days. Included in the bundle is support for a variety of TV networks including major broadcasts such as NBC, CBS, FOX, and ABC. The full list of partners can be seen below, and more will be added as the program moves forward in its service life cycle. The underlying purpose behind YouTube TV is to provide residents with access to major broadcast networks in their area for an exceptionally low cost. In fact, Google claims people spend over $70 (double that of YouTube TV) per month on average. For those people, YouTube TV should be worth considering, so long as the bonus channels that come with most modern cable services aren’t of strong desire.

The race to replace TV as we know it to be is on, and Google will have to face competitors such as Sling TV and DirecTV Now, who have already established a place for themselves in the market. YouTube TV support has been added across major platforms including web, mobile (both Android and iOS) as well as Android TV. Those of you who are interested can sign up to retrieve more information about Google’s roll out plans for the service here.

To sign-up or activate a free trial, click here. Those who enroll now will get a free Chromecast and be eligible for add-on networks that range for $11-$15 extra per month.

SOURCE [YouTube]