How Much YouTube Will Charge For Ad-Free Videos

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For many years now, the best part about YouTube, beyond allowing access to bazillions of videos of all subject matter, was that nearly everything was free to watch. Things got a little worse in the recent past as the service made ads an unavoidable part of the vid-watching process, but now there’s a solution by way of the membership plan dubbed YouTube Red. How much will it cost internet hounds to watch Adele videos and plumbing how-to guides? About 10 bucks a month.

Wisely, YouTube isn’t out to break anyone’s bank by giving them access to ad-free videos, and $9.99 is a decent price, especially since the people who are going to shell it out are the ones that are probably more hooked on the website than average viewers. Personally, I don’t use it so much that the ads are the bane of my existence, but I know that’s not the case for everyone.

Of course, the advantages of membership aren’t solely limited to watching the Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer for the thousandth time without watching a Cigna commercial first. According to YouTube’s official blog, the app is changing to work so that it will play on your mobile devices even when other apps are opened, which has been one of those frustrating things plaguing it for a while now. What’s more, subscribers will be able to watch videos without an internet connection, which basically means that you could spend your entire day watching YouTube, no matter what else you’re doing or where you’re doing it. Your vacation to Siberia can now be planned with confidence.

And for everyone who enjoys original content, the early part of 2016 will introduce YouTube Red subscribers to members-only original shows and movies, some of which are put together by the website’s most celebrated creators. It’s not clear if this will be like normal TV shows or more of the same kind of content, but either way, it’ll only be available if you’re paying for it.

Check out the ad for it below.

This should put YouTube in more of a direct competition with places like Hulu, which has its own ad-free plan in place, and possibly even Netflix at some point, especially since the latter is raising prices. Now it’s just up to Crackle to follow suit.

U.S. viewers can get access to a free one-month trial of YouTube Red starting on October 28, and the new YouTube Music app will be coming soon.

Nick Venable
Nick Venable
Assistant Managing Editor

Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper.  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.