Google is launching a paid subscription service on YouTube

Photo Courtesy of tubefilter.com

YouTube Is Becoming More Tube-Like

By: Ani Hajderaj

If you are an avid YouTuber you have noticed that the  popular service by Google has become more commercial in the years since its inception. The site has a bigger traffic of ads and many corporations have set up accounts to promote their products.

The service has added a new option for users to subscribe to channels in a similar fashion as paid TV. It has been reported that users can subscribe for up to 50 channels for about $1.99 each.

“We have nothing to announce at this time, but we’re looking into creating a subscription platform that could bring even more great content to YouTube for our users to enjoy and provide our creators with another vehicle to generate revenue from their content, beyond the rental and ad-supported models we offer,” said a YouTube spokesperson to Mashable.

The service aims to drive more revenue to channel owners. In the long run, higher quality content can be turned over by the users. Additionally, Google wants creators to gain success from YouTube.

“The important thing is that, regardless of the model, our creators succeed on the platform. There are a lot of our content creators that think they would benefit from subscriptions, so we’re looking at that,” says the YouTube representative.

Perhaps the rumors from January saying YouTube will monetize content on the website are coming true after all. AdAge has reported a number of channels were already approached to apply to become one of the paid services.

Ani Hajderaj is a journalism student involved in the electronic music scene in Toronto. He enjoys writing about music, technology, business and the general city life. Please follow him on twitter @AniHajderaj.