YouTube is cracking down hard on ad blockers but at the same time, wants people to have choices when it comes to paying for YouTube Premium. The platform is introducing new YouTube Premium Subscription tiers and expanding existing offers into new regions.
In a post on the Google support hub, the platform confirmed that new YouTube Premium Tiers are coming to the service soon. There are also new features launching for the paid service including the AI Jump Ahead tool and the ability to watch YouTube Shorts in picture-in-picture mode.
At the moment, YouTube didn’t share exactly what “new plans” are headed to the service. The blog post simply reads:
We’re committed to bringing members more plan options by expanding our existing offers to more regions, while also introducing new plans and exploring ways for you to share your benefits with friends in the future!
However, certain countries currently don’t offer the three-tiered YouTube Premium service including Individual, Family and Student. So the platform will likely roll these out to new regions soon.
The biggest request for YouTube Premium is to offer a plan that includes ad-free videos and downloads without the YouTube Music add-on. People have also been asking YouTube for just an ad-free tier that doesn’t include downloads.
If YouTube were to introduce plans that only cater to people who don’t want to see ads (like me), perhaps more people would sign up and fighting ad-blockers wouldn’t be such a hassle. However, at the moment YouTube is tight-lipped about the so-called “new plans”.
The platform did confirm that three new features are currently rolling out for YouTube. These include Smart Downloads, Conversational AI and a redesigned Watch Page.
- Smart downloads for YouTube Shorts: Say goodbye to FOMO on YouTube Shorts! With smart downloads, you’ll automatically get a fresh batch of entertaining Shorts downloaded to your phone, ready to watch whenever you’re offline. Whether you’re riding the subway or jetsetting on Airplane Mode, you’ll always stay connected with your next favourite Shorts.
- Conversational AI : YouTube’s conversational AI experience is back on Android devices in the US! For those unfamiliar, this assistive tool can answer questions, suggest related content, and more, all without interrupting your playback experience. You can access the tool by tapping “Ask” beneath select videos and begin by asking questions about the video or selecting a suggested prompt.
- Redesigned Watch Page: You can now experiment with a redesigned watch page we’re building on the web to improve your viewing experience and make it easier for you to find related content and engage with comments.
Source: YouTube News
