Image Source: YouTube
The rumors were true. YouTube has just rolled out a new paid subscription service that will put ad-free video – and certain premium, original content – behind a paywall.
It would be an understatement to simply say that YouTube has come a long way since its first video was uploaded by co-founder Jared Kawim in April 2005. In just 10 years, YouTube has been acquired by Google for US$1.65 billion and grown into the world’s largest video hosting service. Over 400 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute!
Starting 28 October in the US, YouTube Red can be purchased for US$9.99/month. A global rollout is slated to follow later. But fret not, the vast majority of YouTube videos will still be available for free, and YouTube is not cutting down on free content in any way.
YouTube Red subscribers will enjoy ad-free video and be able to save videos for viewing offline. In addition, mobile users can now play videos in the background on their smartphone, which means that you can listen to songs or interviews even while checking Twitter.
To further sweeten the deal, YouTube is even bundling access to Google Play Music with YouTube Red, so users will get two streaming services for what is really the price of one. Here’s some perspective – both Spotify and Apple Music charge the same monthly fee for a music-only streaming service.
The subscription will extend across all of YouTube’s apps, including the YouTube Gaming app and the just-announced YouTube Music app. YouTube Music is sort of like YouTube Gaming, where users are given a more focused way with which to search for content (in this case songs).
With YouTube Red, the video-hosting site has also kickstarted its transformation into a veritable media giant with original content produced in collaboration with industry professionals. In a move that looks like it could give rise to some seriously interesting content, YouTube will pair up celebrities born and bred on its platform with talent from professional film and television.
For instance, PewDiePie – who probably has the most-subscribed YouTube channel with nearly 40 billion subscribers – will team up with producers of the The Walking Dead to produce a reality-adventure series. Dubbed Scare PewDiePie, the series will put the YouTuber in terrifying situations inspired by his favorite video games and will no doubt make good use of his comic talent.
PewDiePie will get his own reality-adventure series.
What happens when the creators of YouTube and television’s most popular channel and show come together? We can’t wait to find out!
However, don’t expect YouTube Red to give rise to a new Netflix. Robert Kyncl, YouTube’s Chief Business Officer, says that YouTube will not be challenging Amazon, Netflix and Hulu in bidding for the same films and series. YouTube wants to do what no one else is doing, and if the PewDiePie collaboration is anything to go by, it could just be on to something.
Source: YouTube (1), (2) via The Verge
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