YouTube is raising the cost of its Premium membership options in several countries, such as the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Argentina. The price increase became public when multiple subscribers in these locations got emails informing them of the increase, which will take effect on November 21.
The Premium plan for families allows up to five individuals to utilise features like ad-free films, downloads for offline use, and background play under a single subscription.
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YouTube Premium’s Revised Costs
On Thursday, multiple Reddit users noticed that Canadian subscribers were receiving emails informing them that the monthly pricing for the Premium family plan had increased from CA$17.99 to CA$22.99. However, many in the United States quickly complained about the tax being hiked from $17.99 per month to $22.99 per month.
Users in the United Kingdom also reported that the YouTube Premium family plan had increased in price by £2, from £17.99 to £19.99 per month.
For YouTube viewers in Argentina, the situation is much worse. The corporation is significantly raising the rates of both individual and family Premium plans. Individual plans will cost ARS 389 ($2.53) per month, up from ARS 119 ($0.78), while family plans will cost ARS 699 ($4.55) per month, up from ARS 179 ($1.17).
That's a remarkable increase – over 220% and 290%, respectively.
Here are some other countries where YouTube has raised its prices:
- Turkey (Family plan): from TRY 29.99 ($1.61) to TRY 59.99 per month
- Turkey (Student plan): from TRY 9.99 ($0.54) to TRY 19.49 ($1.05) per month
- Japan (Family plan): from $1,780 ($11.83) to $2,280 ($15.16) per month
At the time of writing, YouTube has not commented on the rationale for the pricing increases. However, YouTube has been attempting to increase revenue via premium subscriptions. It recently performed an experiment asking free users to upgrade to see 4K content. The corporation halted the test earlier this week.
Other Companies That Raised Subscription Costs
Several other firms have also announced pricing increases. In recent weeks, for example, Apple has hiked App Store pricing to compensate for currency fluctuations against the dollar and growing global inflation. This could be one of the reasons behind the surge in YouTube's premium family plans.
It's inconvenient for users, who may offer feedback to YouTube through this link. However, there is no certainty that the price hikes will be reversed in response to consumer complaints.
The price increase also impacts grandfathered family customers – those who switched from old Google Play Music and now pay YouTube $14.99 per month. They will also be charged $22.99 every month. However, the price increase for those consumers will occur later: in April next year.
As previously stated, some firms have hiked the rates of their subscription programs this year. In January, the cost of a Netflix membership rose by $1-$2 depending on the tier. In February, Amazon Prime increased its monthly fees from $12.99 to $14.99 per month or $119 to $139 per year. Other providers, such as Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu, have also raised the prices of their plans.
Featured image: Youtube
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