YouTube TV now has more than 3 million subscribers, Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced today during the company's Q3 earnings call.
The last time Google gave any subscription numbers was in February 2020 during its Q4 2019 earnings call, when Pichai announced the service had more than 2 million subscribers.
The company hasn't been any more specific than that, but it's probably close enough to put. YouTube TV squarely in the No. 2 spot in our list of the biggest live TV streaming services in the United States. That's still behind Hulu with Live TV's 3.4 million subscribers. (Its parent company, Disney, will announce earnings on Nov. 12, so expect new numbers then.) And Sling TV is squarely in third place with 2.25 million subscribers.
The increase comes amid a turbulent year for — well, for just about everyone. Live sports took a backseat to the global pandemic, and YouTube TV had been a strong advertiser in major events like the NBA Finals and the World Series, both of which were delayed until late summer and fall.
Meanwhile, YouTube TV lost its access to the Sinclair-owned Fox Regional Sports Networks. (As have most other streaming services, most recently Hulu With Live TV.) That left sports fans unhappy but also occurred just as live sports were canceling or postponing their seasons.
And then YouTube TV announced a rate increase. It still has just a single plan, but it's $15 a month more than it was at the start of the summer, now hitting at $64.99 a month.
