After US, YouTube Premium hikes prices in several more countries
YouTube Premium is gradually hiking its prices in various countries across Asia Pacific, Europe and South America. The list includes Argentina, Chile, Australia, Austria, Germany, Poland, and Turkey. It's unclear if the same will apply to India. This comes after the US experienced a similar price hike in July, bringing the subscription costs to $13.99/month, $2 more than before. The price adjustment affects individual, family, and student plans for both YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium.
YouTube says the price hike will help improve Premium services
In Australia, the cost of YouTube Premium Individual has risen to A$16.99, reports 9to5Google. However, those who are currently paying a lower rate will continue to do so for "at least three extra months." The new pricing will be reflected in the next billing cycle for existing subscribers. In an email announcement, YouTube said the price increase will help "continue to improve Premium and support the creators and artists you watch on YouTube."
YouTube Premium features
The price increase is being implemented in a staggered manner across different regions rather than uniformly for all countries within a region. The latest development comes after YouTube's global ban on ad blockers. YouTube Premium provides ad-free viewing, audio-only playback for videos, offline downloads, 1080p Premium streaming quality, and co-watching in Google Meet. In India, YouTube Premium costs Rs. 129 per month, while the three-month plan costs Rs. 399. The annual plan is priced at Rs. 1,290.
