YouTube content owners have until Oct. 22 to agree on the new set of terms of YouTube which the company sent through an email.
According to the email, YouTube is launching a new ads-free version of YouTube which will incur users a certain charge amount to be paid each month. Users, however, are encouraged to agree to the new terms if they want their videos to continue playing for public display or to enjoy monetization in the United States
Setting the deadline on Oct. 22 gives the impression that YouTube is indeed looking forward to launch the new ad-free service by the end of October. While the idea of a new subscription service was concocted almost a year ago, YouTube never really confirmed publicly about a timeline. In the past spring season, YouTube executives had disclosed to content owners that the company is targeting a launch in the middle of summer. It remains to be seen however if the latest target for October will finally push through.
The new subscription service will require users to pay a monthly fee of $10. In return, they will be getting not just one but two subscriptions in one bundle. The first involves YouTube's music service known as YouTube Music Key, which the company launched in beta last fall. The second involves ad-free videos and has been rumored to carry the name YouTube Red based on past reports.
"To give fans more choice we will be launching a new ads-free version of YouTube, available to fans for a monthly fee," said YouTube on its email. "This service will create a new source of revenue over time that supplements your advertising revenue. We want to ensure that fans who choose to pay for an ads-free experience can watch all the same videos that are available on the ads-supported experience."
As stated on its email, YouTube intends to create a new channel for earning revenue. However, it's hard to imagine how it can achieve such, knowing for a fact that its Music Key service already costs $10 on its own and that a huge portion of the cost goes to music labels and copyright owners.
"We are progressing according to plan to provide fans more options in how they enjoy content on YouTube," said a spokesperson for YouTube. "We have support from the overwhelming majority of our partners, with over 95 percent of YouTube watch-time covered by agreements, and more in the pipeline about to close."
