Recently, YouTube has been running an experiment with a premium plan. Basically, it primarily targeted 4K videos.
During the experiment, the streaming giant tested how things would go if they put a paywall on the 4K content. In other words, if you were to stream 4K videos, you would need to subscribe to a premium service.
Those who already had YouTube premium, a plan that removes ads from the videos, could only stream content at 4K. The others, who do not have the subscription, got stuck with a maximum resolution of 1080p HD.
Well, the users did not take it lightly, in fact, the streaming giant started to face backlash right after it announced its plans regarding the experiment.
Thankfully, right after the backlash, YouTube made another tweet stating that all can “access 4K quality resolutions without a premium membership.”
Although, the company did not publicly announce the exact reason for the change of plans. However, from all the replies to the tweet, it would be safe to assume that the backlash is the driving factor for it.
The thing is, you can not blame the streaming giant for considering such a huge step. Data is not cheap to move around.
And if YouTube thought of making people pay for high-bit-rate streams, they were basically trying to cut some costs.
So, does that mean YouTube premium is no longer a good investment option? The case is not that simple.
Recently, YouTube started another experiment, which made users go through 10 unskippable ads at the beginning of the video.
Along with that, many users have reported that there has been a significant change in the number of ads and the length of the ads that were shown in the videos.
Specifically, the unskippable ads were longer than before. But, just like this paid 4K content experiment, that one concluded.
However, there are still some changes present in the ads of the videos. So, the premium plan is worth trying if you want a break-free streaming experience.
Why pay for a premium service when you can block the ads with Adblock? There have been major changes in the Adblock system too!
The free extensions that are available for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge will not work like they used to.
In fact, the update is not specifically for these two browsers. Anything that runs on chromium will have the effect. So, considering that, if you hate ads in the middle of your favorite videos, YouTube Premium is probably the way to go.
Slava is a man of mystery and no-one seems to know exactly where he is at any point in time. When he isn't enjoying writing about all things audio and technical he can be found researching his next project of interest. The man never rests.