Advanced Television

YouTube ad-free SVoD service

April 9, 2015

YouTube will launch a subscription version of its online video service, for which viewers will pay to remove its advertising.

The Google-owned video portal revealed its plans in an email to channel owners, while also informing them that if they do not sign up to participate, they will have to set all their videos to “private”.

The news follows the beta launch of YouTube Music Key, a Spotify-style streaming music service that will eventually sell subscriptions, as well as children’s app YouTube Kids.

“We’re excited to build on this momentum by taking another big step in favour of choice: offering fans an ad-free version of YouTube for a monthly fee,” explained the email. “By creating a new paid offering, we’ll generate a new source of revenue that will supplement your fast-growing advertising revenue.”

YouTube has not announced how much a monthly subscription will cost or a specific launch date, although reports suggest the price is likely to be around $10 a month, while creators have been given a deadline of June 15th to sign up.

YouTube plans to keep 45 per cent of the revenues for itself, while sharing the other 55 per cent out among channel owners according to their share of viewing by subscribers.

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