“We’re excited to launch our very first local livestream on YouTube TV,” PBS Chief Digital and Marketing Officer Ira Rubenstein said when this deal was first announced. “Our goal is to reach as many Americans as possible with content that educates, inspires and entertains. As a broadcaster that is rooted in communities, we appreciate YouTube’s commitment to local content, and we are pleased that this service provides audiences with access to programming that is produced and distributed by our member stations.”
Originally, PBS stations said November 4, 2019, would be the launch date, but a few days before PBS was set to go live, several PBS stations said that the launch had been delayed a few weeks. Now, when asked, PBS stations say that their contracts prevent them from commenting on any launch date other than to say they still plan to launch before the end of 2019.
So the good news is PBS is still planning to launch on YouTube TV by the end of December 2019. According to several sources, YouTube TV has the final say on when PBS and PBS Kids will go live on the service.
There have been reports that the prep for getting PBS stations on YouTube TV has been going slower than expected. With so many small PBS stations all independently operated it is easy to see why YouTube TV may want more time to get everything ready for the launch.
For now, this is the best information we have about when PBS will be going live. As we learn more, we will post updates.
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