AT&T TV NOW vs YouTube TV: Best for Channels?

Important: AT&T TV is no longer available and has been replaced with DirecTV Stream. Check out our DirecTV Stream section for updated information on this live TV service, including the channel lineup and our review.

AT&T TV NOW and YouTube TV are two major live TV streaming services that differ on both price and channels, making the decision of which one is best overall more difficult. However, if you want the most channels for the lowest price then YouTube TV is going to be the best for channels.

Picking a live TV streaming service is not easy. While there are plenty of options now available, and at varying price points, focusing on the price alone can sometimes be the wrong decision.

For instance, if the cheaper service doesn’t have the channels you want then there’s not much point going with that service as you shouldn’t be paying for channels you don’t want, but paying for the ones you do want.

In this guide, we will take a specific look at the channel lineups for both AT&T TV NOW and YouTube TV. After taking a brief look at the plans and prices for each service, every channels currently offered by AT&T TV NOW and YouTube TV will be compared. In addition, we will also highlight the channels you do get with one service that you don’t get with the other.

By the end, you should be able to see exactly which of these two services is best-suited to your specific channel needs. You can also use the links below to jump to a specific section.

AT&T TV NOW plans & prices

Previously known as DIRECTV NOW, AT&T TV NOW underwent a major rebranding in 2019 which affected not only the price, but also the channel lineup.

AT&T TV NOW is not the only live TV service AT&T offers. You can also access live TV channels through AT&T’s other services, including AT&T TV, DIRECTV, U-verse, and WatchTV. However, AT&T TV NOW is one of the cheaper AT&T video services with the price lower than AT&T TV, DIRECTV and U-verse.

The price of AT&T TV NOW depends on the plan you select with two different packages available – Plus and Max.

While there are not the only AT&T TV NOW plans available, the others are more expensive and hidden away from view on the company’s website. Generally speaking, Plus and Max are considered AT&T TV NOW’s main plans.

• Plus: $55 per month (45+ channels)
• Max: $80 per month (60+ channels)
  • Includes HBO
  • Includes Cinemax

YouTube TV plans & prices

Similar to AT&T TV NOW, YouTube TV is another live service that offers access to live TV channels streamed over the internet.

However, unlike AT&T, YouTube does not offer any additional ways to get live TV. You either go through the YouTube TV service or you go with another provider.

Compared to AT&T TV NOW, YouTube TV is a much newer service but in spite of the age difference, YouTube TV already has more subscribers.

YouTube TV currently only offers one plan, priced at $50 per month. The idea here is to keep things as simple as possible with no complicated plans to choose from or any pressure to upgrade to a more expensive plan to get the channels you want.

However, the downside is you don’t have much choice either. With only one plan on offer, the price and channel selection is what it is.

• YouTube TV: $60 per month (70+ channels)

AT&T TV NOW vs. YouTube TV channel list

Below is a list of every channel currently available through AT&T TV NOW and YouTube TV. To check for a specific channel, scroll down to the channel and look for a check mark in the AT&T TV NOW or YouTube TV column.

AT&T TV NOW channels missing from YouTube TV

AT&T claims to offer more than 45 channels through its Plus plan while YouTube TV says it provides more than 70 channels. While YouTube TV offers more channels overall, what matters is whether it has the channels you actually want.

AT&T TV NOW Plus channels not included with YouTube TV:

• AccuWeather
• BET
• Boomerang
• Comedy Central
• Hallmark Channel
• MTV
• Nick Jr.
• Nickelodeon
• Ovation
• QVC
• QVC2
• Revolt
• VH1

AT&T TV NOW’s Max plan ups the channels to more than 60. This brings the plan more in line with the number of channels YouTube TV offers. However, it also ups the price to $80 per month. That increase makes Max $30 per month more expensive than YouTube TV.

AT&T TV Now Max channels not included with YouTube TV:

• AccuWeather
• BET
• Boomerang
• Cinemax
• CMT
• Comedy Central
• Hallmark Channel
• HBO
• HBO Family
• HBO Latino
• Longhorn Network
• MSG
• MSG+
• MTV
• Nick Jr.
• Nickelodeon
• Ovation
• Paramount
• Revolt
• TV Land
• VH1

YouTube TV channels missing from AT&T TV NOW

Although YouTube TV offers more channels than the Plus and Max plans, that should only matter if the extra channels are ones you want.

YouTube TV channels not included with AT&T TV NOW Plus:

• ABC News
• ACCN
• Adult Swim
• AMC
• Animal Planet
• BBC
• BBC World News
• BTN
• CBS Sports Network
• Cheddar Big News
• Cheddar Business
• Cheddar News
• Comet
• Court TV
• Cozi TV
• Decades
• Discovery
• ESPNEWS
• ESPNU
• Food Network
• Fox Sports 2
• HGTV
• IFC
• Investigation Discovery
• LAFC
• MLB Network
• Motortrend
• NBA TV
• NBC Golf
• NBC Universo
• NECN
• NESN
• Newsy
• Olympic Channel
• OWN
• PBS
• PBS Kids
• POP
• SEC Network
• Smithsonian Channel
• SNY
• Sounders FC
• Start TV
• Sundance TV
• Tastemade
• Tennis Channel
• TLC
• Travel Channel
• TYT
• WE tv

While AT&T TV NOW’s Max plan costs $30 more each month, it actually has less channels overall. However, quality and quantity are two different things. For some, it might be worth paying more each month even if that means getting less channels.

YouTube TV channels not included with AT&T TV NOW Max:

• ABC News
• ACCN
• Adult Swim
• AMC
• Animal Planet
• BBC
• BBC World News
• Cheddar Big News
• Cheddar Business
• Cheddar News
• Comet
• Court TV
• Cozi TV
• Decades
• Discovery
• Food Network
• HGTV
• IFC
• Investigation Discovery
• LAFC
• MLB Network
• Motortrend
• NBA TV
• NBC Universo
• NECN
• NESN
• Newsy
• OWN
• PBS
• PBS Kids
• POP
• Smithsonian Channel
• SNY
• Sounders FC
• Start TV
• Sundance TV
• Tastemade
• Tennis Channel
• TLC
• Travel Channel
• TYT
• WE tv

Additional (premium) channels

Both AT&T TV NOW and YouTube TV provide access to additional premium channels. These are channels that you can subscribe to on top of the base live TV streaming subscription.

With these being add-on channels, subscribers do have to pay an additional fee for these and the price varies depending on the channel.

The only exceptions to this are HBO Max and Cinemax as both of these are included in the AT&T TV NOW Max plan at no extra cost. Therefore, while the Max plan costs $30 more than YouTube TV each month, it does come with $25 worth of premium channels for free.

AT&T TV NOW vs YouTube TV: Premium channels Comparison:

AT&T TV NOW vs. YouTube TV: Best for channels?

Ultimately, the best service for you is the one that has the channels you want and only you can figure that out. However, there are some overall points that should help to make the decision a little easier. The first is HBO Max and Cinemax.

Do you need HBO Max or Cinemax?

Deciding whether you need HBO Max or Cinemax can go a long way to helping you decide between these two services. This is especially true if you already subscribe to both.

HBO Max and Cinemax cost $15 and $11, respectively. Therefore, subscribing to both will cost you $26 per month. However, AT&T TV NOW’s Max plans includes both of these channels for free.

This saving alone almost wipes out the additional $30 that AT&T charges for the Max plan, compared to YouTube TV. If you plan to subscribe to HBO Max and Cinemax, or already do, and the Max channel lineup above suits your needs, then AT&T TV NOW may be the best option, and Max the best plan.

Do you just want the most channels possible?

If you mostly define value as more then YouTube TV is the better option. Likewise, if you’re mainly interested in paying the least for the most channels then YouTube TV is again going to be your best bet.

YouTube TV costs $5 less than AT&T TV NOW’s cheapest plan and yet includes significantly more channels. It even comes with more channels than AT&T TV NOW’s Max plan even though Max costs $30 more per month

Even if you were to pay separately for HBO Max and Cinemax subscriptions, you’d still be saving $6 each month, compared to the Max plan. Yet, you would have access to a wider selection of channels, including premium content.

In this comparison, YouTube TV wins when it comes to the channel/dollar ratio.

AT&T TV NOW and YouTube TV alternatives

There’s considerable channel overlap between AT&T TV NOW and YouTube TV and as a result, you’re likely to get a number of the same popular channels regardless of which service you pick. Due to this, choosing the best service for you should come down to the wider channel questions. For example, whether you want more channels or HBO Max?

However, if neither of these channel lineups suit your needs then keep in mind they are only two of the live TV streaming services you can currently subscribe to. The live TV streaming market is a busy one right now and that’s great news for consumers.

AT&T TV NOW and YouTube TV alternatives:

• fuboTV
• Hulu Live TV
• Philo
• Sling TV
• Vidgo
• WatchTV

You can see out how these other services currently compare to AT&T TV NOW and YouTube TV on price by checking out our regularly updated live TV streaming service price and deals guide.