Rumours have it that later this year, YouTube will start charging for paid subscriptions. Sources say that YouTube is already meeting with some big channels to gather ideas, such as Machinima and Fullscreen. If all of the rumours are valid, then YouTube will probably launch their new product sometime during Spring or Summer 2013.
YouTube would initially probably only launch twenty five paid channels. A Google spokesperson said
"We have long maintained that different content requires different types of payment models. The important thing is that, regardless of the model, our creators succeed on the platform. There are a lot of our content creators that think they would benefit from subscriptions, so we are looking at that.”
How much will it cost to pay for a subscription? Just like all rumors, we can't confirm anything. However, the general hypothesis is that each channel would cost $1.00 - $5.00 for you to watch. If you convert that into GBP, we're looking at something around £0.60 - £3.50 per paid subscription.
If YouTube does introduce paid subscriptions, I would like to see some additional features such as the ability to download for offline viewing.
Will you pay to watch YouTuber videos? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.