YouTube is thinking about introducing paid subscriptions as an alternative to its current ad-supported model. This follows an experiment with subscriptions in 2013.
Currently, videos on YouTube are supported by ads in various forms. Some are skip-able after 5 seconds, while others you have to watch in their entirety before enjoying your video. Some users might happily pay to avoid this. Speaking at the Code/Mobile conference, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki explained how the company has started to explore this option.
As well as choice, another reason for possible subscriptions is the growth of mobile viewing. This now makes up 50% of YouTube views, and video ads are much less desirable on mobiles, where they may eat into data plans when you’re away from a WiFi connection.
Since 2013, YouTube creators have been able to sell subscriptions for their videos, but it hasn’t been widely publicized. The biggest YouTube stars, like PewDiePie, do not use this service.
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Source: Re/Code
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