Ask HN: Non-YouTube tools for tracking YT channels?

I'm looking for some sort of notification system (email would be fine, other forms also fine) that could read a list of channel URLs and let me know when they release new videos.

I want a tool that runs outside the web browser if possible, but in-browser is OK if there's really no other way.

I've hunted around but so far have failed to find anything remotely like this. There are many channels that I love watching regularly but I do not want to use YouTube to know that there's a new video out on one of them.

Any ideas?