As reported by TechCrunch，YouTube announced on the 23rd，It will offer free、有廣告支持的電視節目–此舉使其與市場上越來越多的免費流媒體服務形成更直接的競爭，including Tubi、Pluto TV、The Roku Channel、IMDb TV、Bad、Plex and NBCU's Peacock。
The company said，It will initially offer more than 4,000 free TV episodes to its US subscribers，Including Hell's Kitchen、Andromeda、Heartland and other shows。It plans to add as many as 100 shows a week to its free streaming collection。
YouTube already has many free、ad-supported movies，So today's launch of Free TV is more like an extension of its existing free streaming efforts，rather than brand new content from the company。
Currently，YouTube already offers over 1500 movies，The films are from Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution、Warner Bros、Paramount Pictures、Lionsgate、FilmRise and others。 E.g，This month it adds new movies，Such as "Gone in Sixty Seconds"、Runaway Bride and Legally Blonde and more。
但更廣泛的流媒體行業–包括廣告支援的和基於訂閱的–往往傾向於電視而不是電影。in previous eras，The new original project is likely to be a movie，Or at least a miniseries，Now tends to be released as a playable show。Platform makers love this trend too，Because it means users are logging more time watching content on their service。Talent and capital have already caught up，TV series earns critical attention and praise，And in the past few years，This kind of attention and praise is often only given to Hollywood movies。
Simultaneously，Free TV streaming is now driving much of the growth in the broader streaming market。
According to data from Kantar，85%of US households have a video subscription，But the quarter-to-quarter growth was largely driven by free ad-supported TV and ad-supported video-on-demand services。 As of Q4 2021，18%的美國家庭現在至少使用一種免費的廣告支持的電視服務–這一數位自上一年第四季度以來增加了一倍多。 Kantar says，Most new users in the last quarter were those who signed up for Peacock、IMDb TV、Users of Tubi and The Roku Channel accounts。
Simultaneously，if not free tv，YouTube also has a significant connected TV footprint in the US。 Nielsen data shows，2021December，YouTube reaches over 135 million people on connected TV in the US。 but，When users search for TV shows on YouTube，它將引導他們租賃或購買有關的標題–免費流媒體不是一個選項。
With the launch of free TV services，This is changing。 YouTube said，It will now introduce new navigation and immersive banner art，説明用戶選擇他們想要的觀看方式–要麼像以前一樣通過租賃或購買，or free with ads。 Simultaneously，YouTube said，Ad breaks will vary in frequency based on viewers and the context in which they watch the show。 Most ads are sold through the YouTube Select program。
Except for a few famous shows，Many of the free-to-view shows are older series，如 《Father Knows Best》、 《Unsolved Mysteries》、 《21 Jump Street》、《The Carol Burnett Show》、《That Girl》、 《Car 54， Where Are You》、 《The Lone Ranger》、 《Hopalong Cassidy》、 《Laugh-In》、《The Dick Van Dyke Show》等。 Many free shows only offer 1 or 2 seasons，even though the series runs longer。 This library doesn't immediately make YouTube the go-to free TV destination，But it could illustrate how the average YouTuber relieves the sometimes boredom。
YouTube also states，Many free TV shows are available in HD 1080p and 5.1 surround sound on supported devices。The shows will start today via a web browser、Available to users in the US on mobile devices and on connected TVs via the YouTube TV app。you can passYouTube.com/freeshowsView full programme listing。