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YouTube announces a new subscription-based service called YouTube Red that will let users browse videos ad-free, and download videos for offline use at $9.99 per month.
YouTube has been around for over ten years now, and the company is no stranger to introducing massive changes – the formerly ad-free website was acquired by Google in 2006, and introduced dynamic advertisements some years ago.
Now, the video-sharing platform is poised to introduced a subscription service called YouTube Red, which lets users browse without ads and easily save videos for offline use, along with a few other exclusives.
Coming in at a $9.99 monthly price tag (notably, more than a current Netflix subscription), it’ll be interesting to see if avid video-watchers will consider paying such a high price for the privilege of ad-free content – especially with adblock extensions rising in prominence. The membership will extend across any devices signed in to from the same YouTube account, whether they be desktop computers or mobile devices.
It’s clear the video giant is testing the waters with YouTube Red, and pricing themselves alongside Netflix is an interesting move. The subscription-based service is also introducing exclusive video content called Red Originals (again, much like Netflix), which is YouTube-created content that will come from popular YouTubers like PewDiePie and Tobuscus. Though not much has been revealed about these exclusive shows, interested users can check out YouTube’s full list of Red Originals here.
For years, many mobile users have been annoyed that minimizing a YouTube video would stop the audio from playing. YouTube Red will now allow for mobile device users to switch between applications without YouTubevideo content stopping, although this will be an exclusive feature of YouTube Red. This means that those who aren’t paying a subscription will still be out of luck when it comes to the versatility of the default YouTube application.
There are countless YouTube content producers across the world who rely on ad-based income to keep producing content ( or buying mansions), but thankfully it looks like YouTube has covered their bases here as well. The official press release says that users can “support the people who make your favorite videos” with YouTube Red, indicating that an alternative payment platform will be set up for its content producers.
It doesn’t end with YouTube Red, however – it’s clear that Google is trying to simultaneously edge in on the Spotify marketplacewith the introduction of YouTube Music, which appears to function much like Apple Genius. When someone taps on a song they like, YouTube will begin making a playlist of similar music. The entire experience is poised to plug in with Google Play Music, and a subscription to one will automatically grant access to the other.
YouTube also sent assurances that the free, ad-supported version of YouTube was here to stay, and that both YouTube Red and YouTube Music are separate entities that offer a more refined experience. Saving videos for offline use and an ad-free experience sounds great, but only time will tell if YouTubers are willing to pay $9.99 for the privilege of doing so.
YouTube Red is scheduled to launch this October 28th in the United States, and users will be able to test out the experience with a free one month subscription. YouTube Music currently has no scheduled launch date. We’ll keep you posted when other Countries are introduced.
What do you think about YouTube Red and YouTube Music, Ranters? Are you interested in paying for these services?
Source: YouTube