YouTube Premium, YouTube’s one-to-one subscription service, will go up in price in the US. The monthly fee will go up from $11.99 to $13.99, an increase of $2. The change is currently in effect for new subscribers, though YouTube has yet to make an official announcement.

Users who choose to subscribe through the YouTube app for iOS will be charged $18.99. At the end of last year, the Premium family plans went through a huge increase, to $22.99 per month, and that price has remained to this day.

Those who decide to pay for the entire subscription at once will also notice a price increase. This is because the annual subscription, introduced in January 2022, now costs $139.99, up $20. Compared to paying monthly, users save $27.89.

The last price increase for YouTube Premium (previously called “Red”) was in 2018 with the relaunch of YouTube Music. Now YouTube is also raising the cost of Music Premium from $9.99 to $10.99 per month. Apple and Amazon have made similar moves over the past year.

It is not yet clear how this will affect existing subscribers and whether these users will remain on the old plans. Currently, some YouTube Premium accounts that are still pegged at $9.99 per month after the last price increase five years ago are not going through any changes.

The price increase also affected YouTube Music

YouTube Premium offers a number of enhancements to the video streaming platform. Subscribers can watch ad-free YouTube videos and download them to watch without an internet connection. There is also support for background playback, allowing subscribers to listen to the audio of the video while using other apps or when their phone screen is off.

YouTube Music, the music streaming service available separately or as part of a Premium subscription, is also experiencing price increases in the US. It will now cost $10.99 per month, reflecting similar price hikes we’ve seen for Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Tidal.

However, it’s important to note that Spotify is an exception as it still charges $9.99 a month, but CEO Daniel Ek recently said the service is “ready to raise prices”, suggesting a similar hike could be around the corner.

YouTube Music gets support for podcasts in Brazil
Users will be able to listen to podcasts offline without even being a premium user.

Via: Edge

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