YouTube wants to compete with Amazon's IMDb TV, Paramount's Pluto TV, and Roku's free channel by offering nearly 4000 episodes of TV shows free with ads.

Free ad-supported TV shows
In addition to its current catalog of 1500 free movies from Disney, Warner, Paramount, Lionsgate and FilmRise, YouTube is adding TV shows that are free to watch with ads.

- "And now US viewers for the first time will be able to watch full seasons of TV shows on YouTube for free with ads. Now you can stream nearly 4,000 episodes of your favorite TV shows, including Hell’s Kitchen, Andromeda, Heartland and more," announced YouTube.

The concept is known as FAST, or Free Ad-supported Streaming TV, and it has been growing rapidly in especially the US over the last few years. Other players are Amazon's IMDb TV, Paramount's Pluto TV, Fox's Tube, The Roku Channel, Comcast's Peacock, Samsung TV Plus and LG TV Plus.



YouTube noted that some titles are available in 1080p with 5.1 surround sound.

The company positioned the addition of free ad-supported TV shows as a way for viewers to enjoy premium content from within YouTube app on Smart TVs and other TV devices.

The nearly 4000 episodes are available now for users in the US here. Up to 100 new show or movie titles will be added each week.