According to one of its official Twitter accounts, YouTube has stopped the experiment that prevented users from watching videos in 4K without paying an additional $11.99 per month for a premium subscription.
As reported first by 9to5Google, the business caused a stir earlier this month when it acknowledged in a string of since-deleted tweets that some of its users had participated in a trial designed to examine "the feature preferences Premium & non-Premium viewers" and asked users for input on the test.
Some users claimed that charging for access to higher-resolution videos was a sign of the platform's demise, while others claimed that it was reasonable considering the expense of streaming 4K content.
"Fully Switched Off"
YouTube announced that it has "fully switched off" the experiment and has reopened the 4K option for everyone, even in response to a critical tweet about it imposing premium subscriptions.
It's unclear how many participants were actually prevented from accessing higher resolutions during the test. At the same time, it is unknown why YouTube decided to scrap the experiment.
But according to 9to5Google, the experiment was met with a lot of negative criticism. Users were understandably dissatisfied when asked to pay $12 per month or $120 per year in order to watch videos in the highest definition available.
Additionally, individuals who were excluded from the experiment were worried that it would become widely available and a constant "perk" for Premium users.
Read also: YouTube Spam Comments: 'Increase Strictness' Beta to Bring Better Content Moderation in Platform
Is it Gone for Good?
However, YouTube did not indicate whether the possibility of putting 4K videos behind a Premium subscription is being permanently abandoned. YouTube posted a tweet in Japanese asking for user feedback on the experiment. This feedback might be useful in guiding YouTube's future decision-making.
As noted by The Verge, Google's CEO noted earlier this year that the company has to be "more entrepreneurial, working with greater urgency, sharper focus, and more hunger than we've shown on sunnier days."
YouTube's revenue growth also appeared to have halted, according to its most recent financial report. This could indicate that even though all users are free to access 4K videos, the company may still have the choice to limit the feature to premium subscribers to have an additional source of revenue.
Earlier this month, a rumor emerged on how Google might require viewers to pay a premium membership fee in order to access YouTube's 4K content.
The story came from Tech Worm which claimed that they obtained the information from a trustworthy source sharing that YouTube could make 4K videos limited to subscribers of YouTube Premium. The 2160p option was hidden in a screenshot with the words "Premium. Tap to upgrade."
On Reddit, a user by the name of u/Ihatesmokealarms shared screenshots that demonstrated how the resolution selection was hidden under the Premium option. Other users in the post mentioned having a comparable experience and discovering a "Tap to upgrade" link on their own smartphones.
But now, these rumors are put to rest since YouTube itself said that it will be scrapping the experiment.
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla
