YouTube has announced YouTube Red, its paid subscription-based service. The service is priced at $9.99 per month, which is about Rs. 650 and will start from October 28. Those who subscribe to the service will get an ad-free experience on YouTube and will also be able to save videos for offline play on a phone or tablet. The playback will also function in the background when other apps are being used. From next year, subscribers will also get access to new and original shows and movies. This includes some well known creators like PewDiePie, CollegeHumor, and more.
Those who sign up for the service will also get a subscription to Google Play Music and those who already have a subscription to Google Play Music will get a subscription to YouTube Red. It was also announced that the company would be launching a new app called YouTube Music. The new app has been designed to make watching, listening, and discovering music easier. For now, the service is only available in the US and those interested can try YouTube Red for free with a one month trial on October 28. The company also said that it will be launching YouTube Red, as well as its YouTube Music, Gaming and Kids apps in other countries soon. The free ad-supported version of YouTube will continue as before.
Earlier, it was reported that YouTube had asked all content providers who make use of advertisements on their site to generate money to participate in the subscription service. Before that, the company had sent content owners an email asking them to accept the terms of the new conditions of service by October 22. They were asked to agree to the proposed changes or their videos “will no longer be available for public display or monetization in the United States."
Google had launched a pilot program of its paid video service in 2013. Subscription plans for that started at 99 cents a month and escalated to as high as $9.99 a month. When it was launched, it featured 53 channels which could be viewed on desktops or mobile devices.