"YouTube Red" is YouTube's New, Ad-skipping $10-a-Month Premium Service

[Steven Bogos]

"YouTube Red" is YouTube's New, Ad-skipping $10-a-Month Premium Service

For $10 a month, YouTube Red allows you to disable ads, download videos, and give you access to exclusive content.

YouTube ads are often the most obtrusive ones out there, and if you're looking for a way to get around them without having to resort to an Adblocker, Google has just unveiled a new, premium subscription service for you. Called "YouTube Red", the service offers ad-free YouTubing for $10 a month.

But that's not all - YouTube Red subscribers will also be able to download and save videos to any device they are logged in on (just like... say... KeepVid [http://keepvid.com/]). Additionally (and this is the big one) several content providers have teamed up with Google to create some exclusive content for YouTube Red users. These content creators include some of the biggest names on YouTube, like PewDiePie, Rooster Teeth and College Humor.

Google also announced a Spotify-esque service that would be launching with YouTube Red called YouTube Music, allowing users to stream music from any device.

Viewers in the U.S. can try YouTube Red for free with a one month trial on October 28.

Source: Google [http://youtube-global.blogspot.ca/2015/10/red.html]

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[Falsename]

Yeeeeeeeeah, this is going to be worse than that 'Paid Mods' idea.

 

[Souplex]

...Did nobody in google's marketing department google that name?
It's very similar to a very popular porn site.

 

[RoBi3.0]

...Did nobody in google's marketing department google that name?
It's very similar to a very popular porn site.

Yeah, it is a odd choice for sure. If they had to name it after a color it should have been called YouTube Green since you paying for the privilege of not having to stop to watch ads. Green means go red means stop and apparently porn.

 

[KoudelkaMorgan]

If I were Redtube, I'd have my lawyers handy.

I thought Grinding Gear Games aka GGG aka German Goo Girls was bad enough.

 

[loa]

Why would I support google of all things tho?
They basically antagonize content creators with their policies that get abused left and right and general apathy.
Why would I support that?

I don't give a damn about google, it's the content I like and you bet google will get the lion's share out of this whole redtube or whatever deal while doing exactly nothing to improve life for content creators on the platform they provide.

All my subscription to this thing does is sending the message that purposefully obnoxious ads can be another means of monetization and my professional opinion on that is "no" and "fuck off".
This is a "solution" to adblockers in the same way that DRM is a "solution" to piracy.
Short-sightedly treating the symptoms rather than looking for the root of the cause.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

See if they don't get PewDiePie and the 9 others in the top 10 to go along with this, its sunk. Between those 10 they are subscribed to by what, nearly 40% of YouTube?
That's enough to greenlight or redlight ANY new project.

 

[Jadak]

So... What does this do for the YouTube channels I actually watch?

None of the mentioned 'perks' are things I care about. I'd hope my actually paying money would see far more money going towards the creators of the videos I view than what they would otherwise get from ads.

Seriously though, they'll have to do better if they want me to more for this than I pay for Netflix.

 

[Fox12]

Why would I support google of all things tho?
They basically antagonize content creators with their policies that get abused left and right and general apathy.
Why would I support that?

I don't give a damn about google, it's the content I like and you bet google will get the lion's share out of this whole redtube or whatever deal while doing exactly nothing to improve life for content creators on the platform they provide. So screw that.

It's a good idea in theory. The content creators get a 55% cut of the profits made from subscriptions, which is the same amount they make from ads. The difference is that it's guaranteed income, since they don't have to worry about ad-block. If they treated their content creators with respect then this would actually be a decent system.

Unfortunately youtube treats its contributors like shit, so...

 

[Covarr]

As someone who dislikes ads, but wants to support my favorite content creators instead of mooching, I'm really down with this idea.

P.S. Thanks

 

[Kameburger]

I donno, I wonder how those youtube celebs that are not quite making the cut to be premium content creators are going to be effected. You're probably going to put a lot of poor souls out of work. Also when you add a paywall to a service that is synonymous with "free" seems like a big clunky miss. My guess is much like google+ people are going to try and click around this nonsense as long as possible until another service comes around and takes its place. I imagine also much like google plus I will already have an unactivated account just by having a gmail account. Google has this strange way of trying to muscle it's way into your life, and than lay eggs in your soul. 10 dollars a month is incidentally f-ing nonsense for anything that exists on youtube now. I'm gonna be really sad if this catches on and I hate to say it but I'm a little bit rooting for them to fail.

 

[Creator002]

What if the exclusive content is videos? If so, with this system you can download videos.[footnote]EDIT - And probably in as high a quality as the original video itself. [/footnote] And anyone can upload a video...
I see some people getting very upset once this takes off.

 

[RedDeadFred]

Good thing I have no desire to see any of the content made by the top Youtubers, let alone their exclusive stuff.

As long as they don't take away my Cinemasins, I'll be happy.

 

[Ukomba]

#%@$ that noise. How long until the government has to come down on Google like they did Microsoft in the late 90's?

Also, that name is... well, how long until some one wanting youtube red types in redtube?

 

[syl3r]

i actually would use that service under the right conditions.
that would be that most of that money (at least 70%) gets distributed between the videos i watched last month. that way it would be an ok alternative to adblock.
but i guess google and the guys of the "premium" stuff take at least 50%

 

[karloss01]

The problem I find with this 'service' is that most of the youtubers I watch have patreon accounts and have amassed enough income from it that they now disable the youtube ads in their videos.

 

[Rellik San]

So I can pay $10 a month... for a service that can already be provided by free 3rd party software.... but will undoubtedly have features that are restricted to people outside of the US, so basically paying $10 a month to get less than people in US.

 

[L3D]

See if they don't get PewDiePie and the 9 others in the top 10 to go along with this, its sunk. Between those 10 they are subscribed to by what, nearly 40% of YouTube?
That's enough to greenlight or redlight ANY new project.

Oh they will get them or else... "YouTube Will Completely Remove Videos Of Creators Who Don?t Sign Its Red Subscription Deal" http://techcrunch.com/2015/10/21/an-offer-creators-cant-refuse/

Google again forcing things on people, hopefully this will go as badly as their previous such attempts. And the naming is problematic too, I hope Redtube sues Youtube.

YouTube Red subscribers will also be able to download and save videos to any device they are logged in on (just like... say... KeepVid [http://keepvid.com/]).

Dailymotion's own Android App allows you to download and keep videos too.

 

[Thyunda]

Little bit irritated with users like Rooster Teeth now - subscribe to RT for exclusive content. Now subscribe to YouTube Red to get different exclusive content. At this rate, two thirds of their product is going to be 'exclusive content' reserved for one group of subscribers or the other. I think we can expect to see half the 'free' videos being teaser trailers or adverts for paid content.

I really hate to use the term 'sellout' because normally I think a creator has all the right in the world to do whatever they want with their content, but outside of Red vs Blue, I never found Rooster Teeth particularly funny. I'm sure a lot of people agree with me.
So I'm slightly concerned as to what they're going to lock up for their subscribers.

EDIT: I forgot to add - doesn't a separate subscription service motivate content creators to push more and more content out with less thought and less oversight? I mean, if you start stacking up different paid sponsorships, you end up having to justify the money and resort to quantity over quality. That means unfunny skits, ham-fisted adverts and experimental comedy that just ends in cringing.

 

[Mister K]

I wonder why do I think that Super Best Friends Play won't get a single cent from my 10 USD, while Google'll become 10 USD richer?