Paid YouTube Subscription Service “YouTube Red” Finally Revealed
OK but how many cat videos does $9.99 get me?
Tired of YouTube ads? Great! Now there’s a way to make them go away, and it’s super easy. All you have to do is start paying for one of the greatest free services on the Internet, and—wait, what?
Yes, not only is YouTube starting a pay service, but it sounds like they’re getting into the Netflix game (sort of) with “member-only access to new, original shows and movies from some of YouTube’s biggest creators,” according to the company’s announcement. Who will that content come from? The preliminary list goes like this:
- Scare PewDiePie: In this reality-adventure series from the creator and executive producers of The Walking Dead at Skybound Entertainment and Maker Studios, experience thrills, chills and laughter asPewDiePie encounters terrifying situations inspired by his favorite video games.
- Sing It!: From Fine Brothers Entertainment and Mandeville Films comes SING IT!, a scripted comedy that lovingly satirizes the reality singing competitions that have become a centerpiece of pop culture.
- Lazer Team: In this feature-length action-comedy from Rooster Teeth and Fullscreen Films, four small-town losers stumble upon an alien ship carrying a mysterious cargo, leading to a battle to save Earth from an all-powerful enemy.
- A Trip to Unicorn Island: From the team at Astronauts Wanted, this feature-length movie gives fans an extraordinary look inside the life and journey of Lilly Singh as she embarks on a challenging 26-city global tour where she has to remember to practice what she preaches: happiness is the only thing worth fighting for.
- Untitled Joey Graceffa project: In this all-new reality adventure series, Joey Graceffa brings together an ensemble of top YouTubers for a murder mystery they’ll never forget. They’ll form alliances to survive, but little do they know that most won’t make it out alive.
- 360 Project from MatPat of Game Theory: YouTube educator and pop culture expert MatPat fromThe Game Theorists invites the audience to come along for the ride in an innovative new series and 360 VR experience. In each episode Matt explores the real-life science behind popular video games by throwing gamers into the high-stakes scenarios they play through every day, from water jetpacks to haunted pizzerias.
- Single by 30: In this romantic drama series from Wong Fu Productions and New Form Digital, two high school best friends make a promise to get married if they’re still single at 30. A decade later, with 30 quickly approaching, their attempt at upholding their vow unfolds in unexpected ways. Starring Harry Shum, Jr. and Kina Grannis.
- Untitled CollegeHumor project: Written by and starring the cast of CollegeHumor, along with special guests, this new anthology series will take a dark and comedic look at the absurdity of Internet culture.
- Fight of the Living Dead: In an unprecedented social experiment reality show from Alpine Labs, Fight of the Living Dead takes popular YouTube talent and traps them in a frighteningly realistic zombie apocalypse. They must use their instincts and gaming skills to survive as they battle the elements for the ultimate prize of survival.
- I Am Tobuscus: From the mind of Toby Turner, this scripted comedy explores the world of a self-involved YouTube creator pursuing bigger stardom. The show features original music, and satirizes the hilarious details of being an eccentric, new-age celebrity.
But remember, all that good stuff is only if you pay up the $9.99 subscription fee for YouTube Red, which also gets you ad-free viewing, downloading of YouTube content for offline watching, and other perks. They’re also getting into the game Apple keeps trying and failing to get back on top of: music. The YouTube Red subscription extends to a new, aptly-named YouTube Music service with all the music discovery features you’d expect.
If you want to give the new subscription a try, they’ll be offering a free, month-long trial beginning on October 28. What will this mean for regular YouTube users and creators not on the list? Hopefully, things will continue as usual outside of listed content, because it would be sad to see things we already know and love move behind a paywall. We’ll just have to wait and see whether this is the beginning of the end of YouTube’s reign as the Internet’s free video hub.
(via Deadline, featured image via YouTube)
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