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"YouTube Red" Offers Premium YouTube For $9.99 a Month, $12.99 For iOS Users (arstechnica.com)

Posted by samzenpus on from the pay-for-uninterrupted-play dept.

An anonymous reader writes: YouTube is launching a subscription plan in the U.S. called Red that combines ad-free videos, new original series and movies. The official blog post reads in part: "On October 28, we’re giving fans exactly what they want. Introducing YouTube Red -- a new membership designed to provide you with the ultimate YouTube experience. YouTube Red lets you enjoy videos across all of YouTube without ads, while also letting you save videos to watch offline on your phone or tablet and play videos in the background, all for $9.99 a month. Your membership extends across devices and anywhere you sign into YouTube, including our recently launched Gaming app and a brand new YouTube Music app we’re announcing today that will be available soon."

18 of 236 comments (clear)

  1. The name is too long by jandrese · · Score: 5, Funny

    I suggest they shorten it to RedTube.

    --

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  2. Fragmentation by tripleevenfall · · Score: 5, Insightful

    With all the streaming services out there, it seems like the chance of getting any single service that is of very high quality will go down. Will we continue to see content split between many vendors with no place to get everything you want in one spot? Or worse, will we start to see these streaming services start trying to sign more and more exclusivity agreements for content to wall it off for people who use other services?

    IMO, the idea of another service offering streaming movies and "new original content" is not an appetizing one. It's another subscription they are asking you to maintain, and how many are cost-cutting cord-cutters supposed to maintain at once?

    1. Re:Fragmentation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You cut the cord because you wanted a la carte pricing. Wish granted. Now you get to sleep in the wet spot.

    2. Re:Fragmentation by Old97 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Make some decisions. There isn't any video content I can't live without. There is more content available than I have the time I'm willing to allocate. So I'll prioritize and buy the content at the top of my list up to the budget - money and time - I've allocated for video content. It's not that hard.

      --
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    3. Re:Fragmentation by sims+2 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Huh? assuming one person.
      netflix $7.99/mo
      amazon $8.25/mo
      youtube $9.99/mo
      crunchyroll $6.95/mo

      That brings me to $33.18/mo
      Still cheaper than basic cable.
      And I can watch what I want when I want AD FREE.

      Basic cable with 17 channels 11 of which are broadcast stations. Analog only.
      $35/mo

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    4. Re:Fragmentation by Harlequin80 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It's not the cost I have the issue with. It is the 100 different interfaces. It's the "is this on Netflix? Hulu? HBO? Damn I can't remember."

  3. That's weird... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    I already enjoy Youtube without ads.

    1. Re: That's weird... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      You are probably in for a nice surprise soon.

  4. $9.99?! by N1AK · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I have no issue with Google trying to launch a premium video service but I'm really surprised by the price point. When Netflix is $8.99 (I think in the US) and Amazon bundles its service with prime for $99 I can't imagine Google is going to be providing a service that is worth notably more than either of these quickly.

  5. HBO started like this by turkeydance · · Score: 5, Insightful

    pay us...no ads...well, until we change our minds.

    1. Re:HBO started like this by Smidge204 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'm old enough to remember the entire premise of "Cable TV" was that you paid a monthly subscription to get ad-free television.

      =Smidge=

  6. "phrasing!!!" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    youtube red... redtube

    Nah, no one is going to mistype it and get a surprise.

  7. Re:Anywhere you sign into YouTube? by ADRA · · Score: 4, Informative

    Because clearly:
      1. Apple takes a cut of recurring revenues, so YouTube passes the cost on to the consumer
      2. YouTube thinks Apple people are sheep who will surely pay extra for the same thing everyone else pays less for
      3. All of the above

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  8. Re: Anywhere you sign into YouTube? by ustolemyname · · Score: 4, Informative

    It's only more of you subscribe through an iOS device, as they must use Apple's built in in-app purchase hooks (as opposed to other platforms where you can connect to a third party payment provider).

  9. YT will also remove videos that don't play ball by vivaoporto · · Score: 5, Interesting
    A better headline (and interestingly missing from ./ summary) comes from techcrunch: YouTube Will Completely Remove Videos Of Creators Who Don't Sign Its Red Subscription Deal

    YouTube made its top video creators an offer they literally couldn't refuse, or they'd have their content disappear. Today YouTube confirmed 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. That includes videos by popular comedians, musicians, game commentators, and DIY instructors.

    It's a tough pill to swallow that makes YouTube look like a bully. Though turning existing fans into paid subscribers instead of free viewers could earn creators more than the ad revenue, forcing them into the deal seems heavy-handed.

    Google says the goal is to offer consistency, so people thinking about subscribing to Red don't have to worry about their favorite content not being available in the ad-free service. But there's no explanation why it couldn't just flag videos of those who don't sign the deal as "Not On Red", and instead had to go with a sign-or-disappear strategy.

    According to Chief Business Officer Robert Kyncl at today's YouTube Red launch event, 99% of content consumed on YouTube will be still available, noting that the vast majority of creators signed the deal. But they didn't have much choice, otherwise they'd lose out on both the previous ad revenue, the new subscription revenue, and the connection with fans.

  10. Ten Ways To Make a GREAT YouTube Video! by sycodon · · Score: 5, Funny

    1. Sound. Make sure it is waaay too lound or waaay too soft. Keep'm guessing.

    2. Make sure your camera jiggles everywhere. Clear pictures are way over rated.

    3. Make sure the action takes place right near the bottom. that's where Google places its Ads so we can't see anything.

    4. Put up lots of those stupid text boxes with links to stuff we should watch instead of what we wanted to watch, subscribe messages, or even better, just be fucking blank.

    5. If do just one of the text boxes, make sure it's right where all the action is so people can't see.

    6. If you do multiple text boxes, cover the whole screen with them. If you are really good, you can do them so hat we can't close them.

    7, Make sure your Title is completely unrelated to the actual content. Misleading is even better.

    8. If you do something controversial, turn off the comments so we can't tell you what a fucking ass you are.

    9. If possible, have the video go for about 5 minutes before whatever we wanted to see shows up.

    10. Use a thumbnail with pictures of tits. Everyone ALWAYS click on tits.

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    1. Re:Ten Ways To Make a GREAT YouTube Video! by Spy+Handler · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You didn't mention the biggest one: hold the phone vertically while filming so the viewers sees a vertical video with lots of empty space to the left and right. This is a must.

  11. Google's 30% is less encompassing than Apple's by Phil+Urich · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Alas, Google takes the exact same 30% on apps and IAPs.

    Well, that's kindof true; note the exact wording though, "applications and in-app products that you sell on Google Play". If an app uses a non-Google Play mechanism for in-app purchases, it doesn't apply, and unlike Apple they don't (last time I checked) have a policy for their app store against publishing apps that offer non-"official" methods of IAP. Apple does have such a policy, though, so app developers can't opt out of the 30% overhead.

    This is why the Android Kindle app allows purchasing directly within the app, but on iOS you have to use the web browser to buy books. Amazon isn't willing to pay a 30% overhead, and on Android they can choose to forgo the provided APIs and use their own infrastructure for purchasing within apps, but they can't on iOS.

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