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YouTube's paid Music and Premium services now have more than 100 million subscribers
YouTube's paid Music and Premium services now have more than 100 million subscribers between them.
YouTube rolls out high bitrate 1080p to all Premium subscribers
YouTube Premium subscribers now have access to some experimental new AI features as well as enhanced 1080p playback at a higher bitrate.
YouTube Premium quietly goes up in price to $14 per month
Google has quietly increased the price of YouTube Premium by a significant $2 from $12 to $14, according to the updated signup page.
YouTube Premium on iOS will soon work with SharePlay
Google announced a feature drop today for YouTube Premium users. Perhaps the most anticipated addition is iOS SharePlay support, which follows the release of Google’s equivalent feature in Meet video calls.
YouTube Premium family plan now costs $23 a month
YouTube Premium family plan now costs $23 a month
YouTube has begun asking users to subscribe to Premium to watch 4K videos
YouTube is telling some users they'll need to pay for Premium to watch videos in 4K.
YouTube testing 'pinch to zoom' feature for Premium users
YouTube has quietly introduced an experimental feature called pinch to zoom exclusively for Premium users.
Pixel Pass bundles a phone with Google services for $45 per month
Google has launched a Pixel Pass subscription that mates a Pixel 6 with multiple services for $45 per month.
YouTube Premium and Music now have 50 million subscribers combined
YouTube says Premium and Music have a combined 50 million subscribers, although it might not be as huge a milestone as it seems.
YouTube trials a cheaper 'Premium Lite' subscription that only removes ads
YouTube is testing a cheaper, ad-free Premium Lite streaming subscription plan in parts of Europe.
YouTube Premium members can get Stadia Premiere Edition for free
Here's how YouTube Premium members can score a free Chromecast Ultra.
The tech we wish we had in college
All this talk of final exams and (virtual) graduation ceremonies has us at Engadget opining about our college days. These are the gadgets and tools we wish we had in college.
Google offers a free Nest Mini to YouTube Premium subscribers
Google is once again giving away a free smart speaker to YouTube Premium subscribers, though this time around the offer is available to a greater number of people.
YouTube Premium and Music have 20 million subscribers
It's now clearer just how YouTube's streaming services stack up against rivals. Alphabet chief Sundar Pichai revealed during the company's latest earnings call that YouTube Premium and Music have a combined 20 million subscribers as of the fourth quarter of 2019. That's a far cry from Spotify's 113 million paying users (as of September 2019) and Apple Music's 60 million (as of June 2019), but still makes YouTube one of the bigger music providers assuming Premium users are taking advantage of their included Music access. Amazon Music had 55 million users as of January this year, but it's not clear how many of those are paying for full-fledged Music Unlimited access.
YouTube suggests Premium members will get free channel memberships (updated)
YouTube appears to be taking on Twitch in a subtler way: by giving away subscriptions you'd otherwise have to pay for. Some Premium members have received prompts to choose a free channel membership (worth up to $5) each month, much like the free Twitch channel subscriptions that Amazon Prime users get. The perk is inconsistently available and doesn't appear to work for at least some of those who see it, but it's clear that YouTube has at least been thinking about a bonus like this.
YouTube Premium can automatically download your favorite videos
YouTube is reportedly offering automatic downloads to its Premium subscribers. The opt-in feature should make it easier to watch content offline. As Android Police notes, some Premium subscribers now see a pop-up banner offering to automatically download favorite topics. In the "Downloads" section, users can pick channels and subjects to save for offline viewing, and each card indicates how long the videos are, so you have an idea of what you're saving.
Google's subscription music numbers reportedly top 15 million
Even as subscription services eat up an ever-growing portion of the overall music business, Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal report that Google's packages are not expanding at the same rate. RIAA numbers showed subscription services added more than a million customers a month during 2018, meanwhile the Wall Street Journal cites sources claiming YouTube Music and Google Play Music subscriptions have been "essentially flat" over four recent months. While Spotify has over 100 million customers, the reported numbers put Google's music offerings at 15 - 16 million. Google told the outlets that subscription numbers and the reports of flat growth are inaccurate, and that as of March, combined subscribers to YouTube Premium and YouTube Music are up 60 percent over last year. Still, the numbers claimed by the sources paint an interesting picture as Google continues to slowly shift from Google Play Music to YouTube Music. A year after launching the YouTube-branded service, it's only just adding features like the ability to play locally-stored songs and still has not replaced GPM's cloud locker for user's own music files. Meanwhile, YouTube continues to be a way many people access music and music videos for free with Google's ads. While it would certainly like to turn those folks into more paying subscribers, having that backdrop means that even with fewer customers, its potential is a bit different than the offerings from Apple, Spotify and Amazon.
YouTube cancels two originals but says it'll keep making premium content (update)
As streaming giants dig deeper into their pockets for more video content, some projects often fall by the wayside. Following a report by Bloomberg, YouTube has confirmed it has canceled two of its high-profile shows: sci-fi thriller Origin and comedy Overthinking with Kat & June. Bloomberg also alleged that the video service is no longer accepting pitches for big-budget scripted content, but Google has denied that is the case.
YouTube's 'Cobra Kai' season two trailer shows rival dojos preparing for battle
The Karate Kid fans will get another dose of the LaRusso vs Lawrence rivalry when Cobra Kai returns to YouTube Premium on April 24th. The first trailer for the show's second season just dropped and it's full of throwbacks to the original film -- not the three sequels because they ignored Willam Zabka's marauding brute Johnny Lawrence. Here, however, he gets equal billing with Ralph Macchio's idealistic karate champion Daniel LaRusso.
