Introducing YouTube Red
Have you ever tried to watch your favourite YouTube video of cats doing the funniest things but get frustrated that you have to sit through a seemingly irrelevant advert beforehand? Well be frustrated no more – the day has finally come where we can watch YouTube videos uninterrupted!
YouTube have finally listened to their fans and it’s now possible to watch your fave videos ad-free. (Launched October 28 2015) But before you immediately jump online to sign up, there’s a catch. The brand new service, called YouTube Red is only available in the U.S and it’s only viewable with a paid subscription of $9.99 a month.
Here’s YouTube’s introduction to YouTube Red:
This brand new subscription service, which along with the funny cats, offers original and exclusive videos from YouTube stars, such as PewDiePie, a web-based comedian and producer best known for his vlog (video blog) on YouTube.
Alongside the ad-free videos you get the option to save videos offline to whatever device you’re watching them on. Early 2016 YouTube Red is also promising to include feature-length films starring top YouTube stars.
Another benefit to YouTube Red subscribers helps get over a pet peeve when you’re on the YouTube mobile phone app, happily listening and singing along to Adele when suddenly you receive a text and when you click to view it -Adele stops singing! With YouTube Red you won’t have to worry about missing any part of your favourite song when texting your mum that you’ll be home for tea because they have made it possible to switch apps and still listen to videos. Hoorah!
This already sounds like the ultimate YouTube experience, but they’re not finished with us yet! YouTube Red will also include their recently launched Gaming app and a brand new YouTube Music app that will be available soon.
All of this for $9.99 a month, good for the viewer, right?
But what about the YouTube stars who can currently earn up a whole lot of cash for their vlogs?
Many YouTube stars are obviously worried how this will affect them. The way they currently earn their money is from the ads displayed in and around the videos they upload, the more views the video gets, the more they earn. However, the site’s new subscription service allows viewers to remove the ads for a monthly fee. No ads, no money?
With the most popular YouTube stars, such as PewDiePie and another popular vlogger, Jenna Marbles making at least six figures, even reaching into the millions with the current system, you’d think they’d be hardest hit of all. That’s not the case. The reason being is as they’re so popular they’ll be getting a bigger portion of the subscription. It’s the guys at the bottom end of the YouTube food chain who’ll potentially lose out.
YouTube Red has definitely created mixed emotions with YouTubers; some think it’ll be brilliant to watch a video without a full movie trailer first, others think it will ruin the already good YouTube experience by having to pay for something they currently watch for free.
Are you a YouTube fan? Would you pay $9.99 a month for YouTube Red or do you think watching a 30 second clip before a 20-30 minute video is acceptable?
We’d love to hear your views.