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PBS takes a step towards its digital future
For the first time, PBS will stream live on a so-called "skinny bundle," YouTube TV. It's a way for PBS programming to reach viewers who may have left traditional cable and are going the over the top route instead.
The news about PBS soon being available on YouTube TV was announced at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, the same day the public broadcaster announced chief Paula Kerger would be staying on for five more years. Kerger has navigated PBS through a time of upheaval in the TV industry, and her job won't get any easier to come. PBS remains one of the few places providing educational content for kids--besides the internet that is--and that's a much riskier proposition if you're a parent. The question going forward will be how PBS can remain any kind of cultural force in the age of too much TV. Being a part of YouTube TV, which costs about $50 a month, may get the broadcaster in front of more eyeballs than before, but they'll still have to get creative with other streaming strategies too, especially since they do still depend on the support of viewers like you.