YouTube Red To Become YouTube Premium (1 Viewer)

[Todd Erwin]

Todd Erwin

YouTube Red To Become YouTube Premium

YouTube is renaming its You Tube Red subscription VOD service and increasing the price by $2 per month. The ad-free streaming service, launched in 2015, will now be called YouTube Premium and sell for $11.99 per month. Current subscribers and those who sign up before YouTube Premium launches will be grandfathered at $9.99 per month. The new YouTube Premium includes the ad-free YouTube Music (a revamped music streaming service that will take on rival offerings such as Spotify and Apple Music), plus ad-free access to original series, including Cobra Kai, and movies like upcoming sci-fi title Impulse. The service, which is currently only available in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and South Korea, will expand later this year to Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

From the Official YouTube Blog:

Introducing YouTube Premium


Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Since launching YouTube Red in 2015, we’ve been thrilled with how people are enjoying the service, whether it’s downloading videos for a flight, binging the first season of Cobra Kai, or listening to the wide breadth of ad-free music. As part of ongoing enhancements to the member experience, today we’re excited to announce that YouTube Red is becoming YouTube Premium!

The new YouTube Premium includes:

• The new YouTube Music: ad-free, with background listening and downloads
  
• More, bigger original series and movies
  
• Ad-free, background play, and downloads across YouTube
  

It’s all coming soon to even more countries.

YouTube Music

• The new YouTube Music is a music streaming service that combines music listening with the magic of YouTube: making the world of music easier to explore and more personalized than ever. YouTube Music includes a reimagined mobile app and brand new desktop player that are designed for music.
  
• YouTube Premium unlocks the full YouTube Music experience: ad-free music, background listening, and downloads.
  

YouTube Originals

• With YouTube Premium, you’ll get access to the full slate of YouTube Originals, including recent hits like the Karate Kid-inspired series, Cobra Kai, the dance drama, Step Up: High Water, and upcoming series like the sci-fi thriller, Impulse, and Liza Koshy's Liza on Demand.
  
• More new Originals from around the globe are on the way—featuring comedies, dramas, reality series and action adventure shows from the U.K., Germany, France, Mexico, and more.
  

Ad-free, background play, and downloads across YouTube

• YouTube Premium will continue to provide an ad-free experience, background play, and downloads across the millions of videos on YouTube, which simultaneously supports our incredible creators and artists.
  

Pricing and Availability

• YouTube Premium rolls out soon in existing markets: the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, and South Korea*. It’s also coming soon to new markets: Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. We look forward to more expansion throughout 2018 and beyond.
  
• YouTube Premium will be available for $11.99 per month (U.S. price) or you can unlock the full experience of the new YouTube Music by itself with Music Premium for $9.99 per month (U.S. price).
  
• When YouTube Premium launches, YouTube Red members will automatically receive access at their current price. In countries where YouTube Red is currently available, a new member can also secure this price ($9.99 in the U.S.) by joining now at youtube.com/red.**
  

*South Korea will only offer YouTube Premium at the current price of YouTube Red.
**If that price changes in the future, we will give plenty of notice​

As of May 18, 2018, users have until May 22 sign up for a 3-month free trial and get grandfathered in at the $9.99/month rate.

 

[Sam Posten]

GLWT

 

[DaveF]

New name, higher price? Ok.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Is there really enough exclusive content on YouTube to make it worth such a fee?

 

[John Dirk]

I don't see a market for this. Am I missing something? I hope I am.

1) It's as or more expensive than Netflix yet makes no real mention of streaming resolution.
2) Same for music. No mention of supported file formats. I understand this was just an overview but if HD formats were supported I would expect that would have been mentioned.
3) Netflix has what is probably an insurmountable lead in exclusive content.
4) No live TV streaming? Even the basic networks?

 

[Malcolm R]

I don't see how making a one-word change will affect much. Though I've always wondered if YouTube Red was some sort of adult video site.

 

[John Dirk]

I don't see how making a one-word change will affect much. Though I've always wondered if YouTube Red was some sort of adult video site.

It seems they anticipated your perspective and so they raised the price to add to the appeal.

 

[Cranston37+]

This service isn’t for me, but I’m confused as to the push back against it...

YouTube Music is $9.99 a month, which is exactly what Spotify and Apple Music charge.

YouTube Premium adds onto that ad-free YouTube and access to their original TV and movie content for only $2 more a month.

Hulu and CBS All Access charge $4 more a month to remove ads and with no additional content.

You don’t think YouTube Music subscribers might find plenty of added value for the extra $2? Is it not good that YouTube is at least making the option available to them?

What am I missing here?

 

[Todd Erwin]

This service isn’t for me, but I’m confused as to the push back against it...

YouTube Music is $9.99 a month, which is exactly what Spotify and Apple Music are.

YouTube Premium adds to that ad free YouTube and access to their original content for an extra $2.

You don’t think YouTube Music customers might find some value in that for another $2? What am I missing here?

Finally, someone who understands what YouTube is trying to do.

 

[Todd Erwin]

4) No live TV streaming? Even the basic networks?

This is not YouTube TV.

 

[Cranston37+]

If we agree with a baseline that the Music portion of this service is priced the same as the rest of the music subscription market, then the complaints above can only be that removing ads and providing additional content is not worth an extra $2 a month and that Netflix quality content or Live TV streaming should be included as well.

For $2.

Seriously?

 

[John Dirk]

This is not YouTube TV.

Thanks for clarifying. I thought it was. This is not sarcasm. I really did.