Prepare to reach deeper into your pockets as YouTubeGOOGL has quietly introduced a price increase for its Premium subscription in the U.S.
What Happened: New subscribers must pay $13.99 monthly for the individual plan, marking a $2 increase from the previous $11.99 fee. Notably, those subscribing through the iOS YouTube app face a steeper monthly cost of $18.99.
While YouTube has not officially announced the price hike, the change is already visible on the YouTube Premium Page. The hike was first spotted by 9To5Google.
Current subscribers will likely be unaffected by the price adjustment for now. It remains to be seen whether YouTube plans to apply the increased rate to existing users in the future.
YouTube Premium removes advertisements from videos, provides access to audio-only playback, enables users to download their favorite videos for on-the-go enjoyment, 1080p Premium streaming quality, and added benefit of co-watching in Google Meet.
Why It’s Important: YouTube last raised the price of its premium subscription back in 2018. The platform has yet to explain the reasoning behind this latest price increase.
It is pertinent to mention that YouTube has cracked down on ad blockers over the last few months. According to the company, ads are crucial for YouTube to stay free for users worldwide, and people can opt for YouTube Premium to have an ad-free experience.
Considering the number of ads on YouTube, these initiatives haven’t sat well with many users, while others called it a strategy to push people toward the platform’s paid subscription.
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