YouTube TV doesn’t currently carry A&E Networks so subscribers will need to find another way to access A&E content online. It is not uncommon for a live TV streaming service to not carry certain channels in their lineup, and this usually tends to mean consumers need to switch services if they want to get access to that channel. While that’s also the case here, a separate $6.99 per month subscription can add A&E (and some other channels) to a YouTube TV subscriber’s streaming setup.
In general, YouTube TV is a great option for streaming live TV over the internet. Even though it isn’t the cheapest option around, it does come with plenty of premium features and a varied channel lineup. Thanks to a good mixture of news, entertainment and sports, the selection of channels is likely to be varied enough for most homes, and especially when compared to the competition.
Unfortunately, A&E Networks is not included in the varied channel lineup, and it currently remains to be seen if that is likely to change anytime soon. This is not just an issue for A&E fans, as the History channel (also owned by A&E Networks) is not available on YouTube TV either. As carriage agreements tend to include multiple channels, it is likely that a deal for multiple A&E channels would need to be agreed with YouTube TV before A&E became available, and there are currently no indications that is likely to happen soon.
frndlyTV costs $6.99 and has A&E
Generally speaking, anyone in a situation where they can’t get access to a channel they want with their current live TV provider would need to switch providers. This is also the case with A&E, as while YouTube TV doesn’t carry the channel, many other live TV streaming services do. That said, YouTube TV subscribers do have the added option of giving Frndly TV a try.
Frndly TV is also a live TV streaming service, but unlike YouTube TV and the others, it is not quite as robust of a solution. In other words, frndlyTV’s channel lineup is a lot more limited and curated. Even though this mean the channel lineup won’t be suitable for everyone, it also does mean that the price is much lower than many other live TV streaming services. In fact, the price is as low as $6.99 per month, with access to A&E included at that price.
In total, a $6.99 per month Frndly TV subscription opens up access to more than 40 channels, including A&E. The subscription also offers access to on-demand content from these networks as well. This price does come with some limitations, such as the resolution, the number of simultaneous streams, and DVR access, but Frndly TV does also offer other plans — Classic priced at $8.99 per month and Premium at $10.99 per month — which remove or reduce the impact of these limitations.
However, it is worth noting that Frndly TV doesn’t offer TV Everywhere support for A&E Networks. Due to this, and while it is possible to watch live and on-demand A&E content through the Frndly TV app, it is not possible to log in to the A&E website or app with the subscriber’s Frndly TV account details. Still, for those happy to just tune in and watch A&E through Frndly TV, the $6.99 per month subscription will work fine.
For those looking to save even more on the cost, it might also be worth noting that Frndly TV does offer an annual subscription option for each of its plans. Opting for the annual plan can reduce the cost by around 15% over the course of the full 12 months. For example, the basic $6.99 per month plan costs $69.99 when paid yearly, resulting in an average monthly cost of around $5.83.
A&E on YouTube TV summary
A&E Networks is not currently available with a standard YouTube TV subscription or through any of the premium add-ons that can be bundled with the base plan. It also remains to be seen if that’s likely to change in the near or far future. In the meantime, those YouTube TV subscribers that are in need of access to A&E will need to consider an alternate service or subscription.
Instead of actually switching services, one option is to give Frndly TV a try while remaining subscribed to YouTube TV. While no one would want to pay more than they have to, Frndly TV plans start at just $6.99 per month and open up access to more than 40 channels including A&E Networks. For those that do like and want to stay with YouTube TV, but also want A&E, Frndly TV is a low-cost option worth considering.
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