YouTube Red Goes Premium; YouTube Music Becomes Paid, $9.99/Month!
In a blog post, Youtube has announced that YouTube Red is being rebranded as YouTube Premium
Google is fully aware of Spotify and Apple Music’s meteoric rise as the preferred on-demand music streaming service. Although YouTube is the largest video hosting site, with no visible competitor who can challenge their billions of hours of views, Google knows something is missing.
They wish to brand YouTube as the users’ one-stop destination for all sorts of digital entertainment, and a very strong step has been taken in the regard.
To kickstart the process, YouTube has decided to revamp and rebrand their paid service: YouTube Red; and relaunch YouTube Music as a standalone and bundled service, whose primary aim is to take on Spotify.
Interestingly, since last few years, Google has been trying to acquire Spotify, but their efforts haven’t borne fruit yet. Now, it seems that YouTtube’s mantra is: If you can’t buy ‘em, beat ‘em!
YouTube Red Becomes YouTube Premium!
In a blog post, Youtube has announced that YouTube Red is being rebranded as YouTube Premium, which is a bit expensive than YouTube Red.
Albeit, powered with some extra punch as well.
In the initial rollout, YouTube Premium would be launched next week at these locations:
- United States
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Mexico
- South Korea
And, by the end of 2018, YouTube Premium will be available at Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
While YouTube Red is charged $9.99 per month, YouTube Premium would be charged $11.99, per month.
As per their blog, YouTube Premium will have:
- 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
In terms of original series theme, which HBO and Netflix have used to the max, YouTube Premium talks about Cobra Kai, a Karate Kid saga, which is YouTube’s original series.
Other exclusive and original series which YouTube Premium users can access are: Step Up: High Water, a dance drama; upcoming series like the sci-fi thriller, Impulse, and Liza Koshy’s Liza on Demand.
YouTube has promised that more original series from US, Mexico, France, Germany and other countries would feature soon.
No mention of India or any other Asian countries here, which means India and Asia isn’t YouTube’s focus as of now.
YouTube Music Is Now ‘Reimagined’, ‘Revamped’!
It is now clear that YouTube Premium wants to position themselves as the most happening online music streaming service.
In this endeavour, YouTube Music has been redesigned, and now includes “reimagined mobile app and brand new desktop player that is designed for music.”
Although YouTube Music was part of Youtube Red before, now, it is now being offered as a standalone service. The blog says,
“YouTube Premium unlocks the full YouTube Music experience: ad-free music, background listening, and downloads.”
YouTube Music Premium can be subscribed for $9.99, which needs to be paid other than YouTube Premium for ad-free music, background listening and downloads.
As per some reports, Google Play Music would be gradually expired, and YouTube Music would be the only streaming music service from YouTube.
Another report states that existing YouTube Red users would continue to pay $9.99 for YouTube Premium, but would be asked to pay $9.99 separately for YouTube Music.
We will keep you updated, as we receive more details.
“No mention of India or any other Asian countries here, which means India and Asia isn’t YouTube’s focus as of now.” – Wah! Yeh baat bahut Sundar hai!