It looks like YouTube is trying to elevate itself into that Netflix realm of media streaming with their new YouTube Red service.
Priced at $10 a month, it’s slightly more expensive than Netflix currently is but offers a whole different YouTube experience than regular users would get. The service banishes all those pesky adds, gives you the ability to save videos for offline viewing, and allows you to listen to a video (most applicable to music) with YouTube in the background on mobile – something that fans have wanted for years.
Currently the subscription service is set to launch in a week’s time, but if you’re feeling underwhelmed by the service so far don’t worry – there’s many more features set to launch next year.
With access to exclusive content including YouTube original series and even full movies, YouTube looks primed to position itself as a new competitor to Hulu, Amazon, and the aforementioned Netflix.
So far YouTube’s catalogue includes a new series from YouTube comedians Fine Brothers, and supposedly a feature film called Unicorn Time. YouTube is choosing to invest in current YouTube content creators, which is a nice display of keeping their content in-house for the time being.
For avid music listeners the fun doesn’t just stop there. The youTube Music app which just launched today will also be covered as part of your subscription. Similar to Spotify, the app will allow you to listen to YouTube in the background and also give you access to Google Play Music and its vast catalogue.
However, there is a dark side for content creators who choose to forego the new revenue share deal. Tech Crunch reports that “any ‘partner’ creator who earns a cut of ad revenue but doesn’t agree to sign its revenue share deal for its new YouTube Red $9.99 ad-free subscription will have their videos hidden from public view on both the ad-supported and ad-free tiers.”
H/T: Gizmodo | Tech Crunch
Featured Image Source: Droid Life
