After months of teasing the public, YouTube has officially launched YouTube TV in five major metro markets – New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and Philadelphia. Following a one-month free trial, subscribers in those cities will pay $35 a month to get access to live television and more than 50 networks including ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, ESPN, FX, USA, Disney Channel, Bravo and more. Showtime and Fox Soccer Plus are available as add-ons.

Though separate from YouTube Red, YouTube TV subscribers will also be able to access YouTube Originals including series like Kings of Atlantis, Me and My Grandma, and DanTDM and movies including The Thinning and Ghostmates. Like other streaming video subscriptions, there is no long-term commitment, and subscribers can cancel at any time.

YouTube made the announcement on its blog last Wednesday:

“We love TV. We love the shows, live sports, and can’t-miss events that drive our FOMO and need for #spoileralerts. But while what we watch on TV seems to get better every year, the way we watch TV never seems to change. How long do we have to wait until we can watch live TV on the go, on all our devices? When will we have DVRs big enough to handle all the things we want to record? And when will we be able to get the channels we care about, at a price we can afford, without all the commitments, equipment fees, and hassle? The answer? Today. Finally, live TV made for us. YouTube TV is here,” said YouTube.

Among the factors that sets YouTube TV apart from similar services is the unlimited cloud DVR. Subscribers can simultaneously record multiple shows and save them for up to nine months, and the cloud DVR works on mobile devices, and TVs via Google Chromecast. YouTube TV says it will be available on other types of connected TVs later. Also, for one flat fee, YouTube TV can be shared with up to five family members or roommates for six total users.

In addition to the networks available at launch, YouTube says it will be adding more soon, including AMC, BBC America, IFC, Sundance TV, WE tv, and BBC World News as part of the standard package. Sundance Now and Shudder will be available as add-ons later as well.

In a recent article, the Wall Street Journal reports that there’s a catch to ad-free viewing. If you record a show with your unlimited cloud DVR that later becomes available on-demand, you’ll have to watch the recorded version with the commercials. If that same show is not available on-demand, you will be able to watch the recorded show commercial-free.

Here are a few reactions to the service on Twitter:

Insider Take:

Google and YouTube have been talking about this service forever, it seems, so we are glad to see it finally launch. Despite the saturated market, this still seems like a good package at a reasonable price point, and as the Twitter fan above points out, cord cutters and cord nevers can subscribe to several different OTT packages and still save from a pricy cable package.

YouTube TV is not without its downsides though. First, there is the issue with commercials, but even the ad-free service Hulu deals with that. If you watch an episode of Scandal, for example, on Hulu the day after it airs, you have to watch a commercial before and after the show. The new arrangement on YouTube TV isn’t perfect, but it isn’t a deal breaker.

Second, YouTube needs to be careful that it clearly differentiates its different products: YouTube (free), YouTube Red (subscription) and YouTube TV (subscription), each with different offerings and price points. This could get confusing, so YouTube needs to make sign-ups, features, terms and conditions very clear.

Third, The Verge reports that if you sign up from an iPad or iPhone, the service is $39.99, not including taxes and fees, because of the so-called Apple tax. If you sign up using an Android, the service is $35 plus taxes and fees.

On the plus side, YouTube TV has a good mix of networks to choose from, and we love the unlimited DVR option and that the service is sharable throughout your household. We also like that YouTube is testing this in five markets before doing a rollout to the entire US. This will give YouTube the opportunity to see what’s working and what isn’t and to refine its offering as needed. YouTube TV isn’t available in my market yet, but when it is, I will test it out for 30 days to see if it fills the gaps left when I cut the cable cord earlier this year.