YouTube is apparently planning on expanding its Red subscription service out to “many more countries” – 847 days after the company announced the service for the USA. The update came from YouTube chief executive Susan Wojcicki, speaking at Recode’s Code Media conference, and it is suggested it could be as many as 100 countries. Hopefully that finally includes the UK.
No date in mind, or indeed how much the service will have changed since it launched. Reading the original news piece on it below, things have certainly changed a lot since then. PewDiePie and Logan Paul were both on board to make exclusive original content for YouTube, and for different reasons, both are seen as something of a liability by the company now as it tries to reassure advertisers that it’s not a toxic environment with no boundaries.
Nonetheless, you can read the original announcement below – and marvel at how the landscape has changed in the 28 months since it was originally written.
Sasha’s original news piece continues below
The rumours were true: Google has revealed a paid subscription service for YouTube. And yes, that means ad-free videos are finally a thing.
Touted as “the ultimate YouTube experience”, YouTube Red provides members with access to all of YouTube’s videos without those super-annoying ads, and also allows users to save videos for offline viewing to their phone or tablet. How much? $9.99 a month. So, hopefully, around £6.50 in UK money.
The other big, big news? (My god, it’s practically huge.) Videos will now continue to play audio in the background – so YouTube Red will let you listen to all that lovely music hidden away on YouTube while doing other important stuff on your phone or tablet. Like checking your Facebook, or looking at pictures of cute animals on the internet.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=YL9RetC0ook
The membership benefits don’t stop there, however. A YouTube Red account will work across multiple devices, and multiple apps – including the recently-launched YouTube Gaming and Kids apps, and the all-new YouTube Music app, which will be launching ‘soon’ according to Google’s blog. It seems that Spotify and Apple Music are squarely in Google’s sights.
OMG! PewDiePie
Steady, though. It’s about to get even more exciting. From 2016, YouTube Red will provide member-only access to new, original shows and movies – dubbed “Originals” – from “YouTube’s biggest creators”. Yes, that means PewDiePie. PewDiePie will be starring in Scare PewDiePie – a reality-adventure series crafted by the minds responsible for hit show The Walking Dead, in which the near-legendary YouTube gaming hero “encounters terrifying situations inspired by his favourite video games”. No, we are not making this up. Check out the other forthcoming shows here.
Google, ever the tease, is currently restricting the service to the US, with all those lucky people across the pond getting a free one-month trial of the service from 28 October. There’s no date for YouTube Music as yet, but we’ll keep you posted.
Just think of all those videos you’ll now be able to watch AD-FREE. Oh, yes. It’s almost time to go back and rewatch the stone-cold YouTube classics. Click here to join us on a trip back through YouTube history.
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