If you were already shying away from subscribing to YouTube Premium for all the benefits it brings to the table because of the monthly price tag associated with it, then YouTube’s latest change might really turn you away.
As first spotted by 9to5Google, YouTube has quietly raised the monthly rate of YouTube Premium from $11.99 to $13.99 per month. The change can be seen right now on the web page that YouTube uses to sign people up for YouTube Premium, but it’s worth noting that there have been no formal announcements by YouTube about this change as of yet.
It’s worth noting that subscribing to YouTube Premium from the iPhone or iPad app costs more than signing up online. Previously, subscribing via the iPhone or iPad app would cost $15.99 per month, but with the new increase, that price rises to $18.99 – a three-dollar price hike. We covered this extensively in a previous post.
Parallel with the YouTube Premium price hikes, YouTube has also quietly increased the cost of its YouTube Music streaming subscription service, which now sits at $10.99 per month instead of the original $9.99 per month. It’s worth noting that all YouTube Premium subscribers automatically gain access to YouTube Music.
Currently, those already subscribed to YouTube Premium aren’t seeing any price hikes, but anyone who cancels and re-starts a subscription will be affected by the new price in their charges. It remains to be seen if this will change for existing subscribers in the future, as many longtime subscribers are still locked into their $9.99-per-month price from long before YouTube increased the price of YouTube Premium to $10.99 per month.
These moves, paired with the recent announcement that YouTube will be cutting users off after three videos if using ad-blockers, suggests that YouTube needs to increase its revenue stream. In fact, these actions align with competing entertainment services such as Netflix, which has not only increased its monthly rates, but started cracking down on password sharing, among other things.
Are you flustered by all these price hikes from recurrent monthly subscription services? Let us know in the comments section down below.