Why do so many people still subscribe to YouTube Premium despite the price increase?

Despite the price increase for YouTube Premium, many people are still happy to pay the monthly fee. Why?

Google quietly increases YouTube Premium package price, in some places up to 55%

YouTube now offers  Premium subscription plans for individuals and families (Family Plans). When purchasing a Premium plan, YouTube users will be able to watch videos without ads.

According to a thread on Reddit, YouTube has increased the price of its Premium subscription in nearly a dozen different countries. Notably, both individual and family plans have seen significant price increases.

This may come as a surprise as YouTube also increased its Premium subscription prices in many countries around the world just a few months ago. The new price hike mainly affects European and Asian countries, with some regions seeing a significant increase of up to 55%.

 

Below is a list of countries along with their respective price increase information:

Ireland, Netherlands, Italy, Belgium:

1. Individual Package: From €11.99 to €13.99
2. Family Package: From €17.99 to €25.99

Switzerland:

1. Individual package: From CHF 15.90 to CHF 17.90
2. Family package: From CHF 23.90 to CHF 33.90

Denmark:

1. Individual package: From 119 DKK to 139 DKK
2. Family package: From 177 DKK to 259 DKK

Sweden:

1. Individual package: From 119 SEK to 149 SEK
2. Family package: From 179 SEK to 279 SEK

Norway:

1. Individual package: From NOK 119 to NOK 169
2. Family package: From NOK 179 to NOK 269

Czech Republic:

1. Individual package: From 179 CZK to 209 CZK
2. Family package: From 269 CZK to 389 CZK

Singapore:

1. Individual Package: From SGD 11.98 to SGD 13.98
2. Family Package: From SGD 17.98 to SGD 27.98

United Arab Emirates:

1. Individual Package: From AED 23.99 to AED 26.99
2. Family Package: From AED 35.99 to AED 48.99

Malaysia

1. Individual Package: From MYR 17.90 to MYR 20.90
2. Family Package: From MYR 33.90 to MYR 41.90

Saudi Arabia

1. Individual Package: From SAR 23.98 to SAR 26.99
2. Family Package: From SAR 35.98 to SAR 49.99

Indonesia:

1. Individual Package: From IDR 59,000 to IDR 69,000
2. Family Package: From IDR 99,000 to IDR 139,000

Colombia:

1. Individual Package: From 17,900 COP to 20,900 COP
2. Family Package: From 26,900 COP to 41,900 COP

Thailand:

1. Individual Package: From 159 THB to 179 THB
2. Family Package: From 299 THB to 359 THB

According to other reports, Google also sent emails to YouTube Premium customers in those countries, saying the price increase will allow them to "continue to provide great service and features, while supporting the creators and artists you watch on YouTube." The email has similar language to what was used in the price increase announcement for users in the United States.

A Reddit user from Sweden shared a screenshot of the notification showing a whopping price increase of nearly 60%. However, it could be a tax that is charged when paying through Apple rather than directly through Google.

Currently in Vietnam there is no announcement of an increase in YouTube Premium subscription fees.

Why do so many people still subscribe to YouTube Premium despite the price increase?

 

The variety of content on YouTube

There are a lot of creators on YouTube, and they are the main reason why many people subscribe to Premium. The large number of creators on YouTube gives users a lot of variety when they are looking for something interesting. The app's algorithm always has something relevant when they open the app. Now, if the videos on offer are no longer appealing, you can reset YouTube's recommendations so that the app stops suggesting irrelevant videos.

Despite the variety on YouTube, most creators create content that's between 10 and 30 minutes long — just enough to pass the time and entertain while doing other activities, but not so long that it takes up too much of your day.

No ads anywhere

 

If you spend a lot of time watching YouTube videos, it's definitely worth paying a monthly fee to remove all the ads that interrupt your viewing experience. Watching about 5 YouTube videos a day equates to about a minute of ads a day, or about 30 minutes a month. So by paying a monthly fee, you'll be freeing up that time to do something else instead of forcing yourself to watch ads.

This isn't just limited to watching YouTube on your phone. When you sign up for YouTube Premium, you'll also see no ads on your tablet or Smart TV. Your favorite creators will also get a portion of the subscription fee you pay whenever you watch their content. Plus, the Family plan makes YouTube Premium a lot more affordable—so even if there are only two people in your household who watch a lot of YouTube, it's worth it.

Download videos for offline viewing

Watching YouTube videos is a great way to pass the time, especially when traveling. However, watching high-quality YouTube videos uses up a lot of mobile data and can be expensive if you don't download them to your device first.

That's why YouTube Premium is worth considering. That way, you can watch videos anywhere without worrying about expensive fees. This is especially important when you're traveling by plane, since there's often no mobile data connection in the air and in-flight Wi-Fi is out of your budget.

Additionally, YouTube Premium has a Smart Downloads feature, which suggests videos you might be interested in and automatically downloads them to your device. So even if you suddenly lose your Internet connection, you can still enjoy watching YouTube videos, although the number of options is more limited.

Access to YouTube Music Premium

 

With YouTube Premium, you also get access to YouTube Music Premium, which makes a YouTube Premium subscription a great value. At the time of writing, Spotify Premium costs $11.99/month for an individual, while YouTube Premium costs $13.99/month. So you can think of it this way: You're getting a premium music streaming service with YouTube Music for the same price as Spotify Premium, and for just $2/month more, you can get everything on YouTube, too.

YouTube Music's library is as big as Spotify's, so you're unlikely to miss any of your favorite artists. But it also has some other features, like great AI radio stations and great recommendations to help you find your next favorite tune. If you find the app isn't serving up your favorite tunes, you can always improve your YouTube Music recommendations with a few tricks.

Background Play is a Must for YouTube-Only Podcasts

We're no longer consuming content on radio and TV, which is why podcasts are becoming more and more popular every day. However, not all podcasts are available on your favorite streaming platform, like Spotify. There are some podcasters who only do video podcasts, so you can only find them on video platforms like YouTube.

People often listen to podcasts while doing other things, like doing the dishes or taking a walk. That's why background playback is a must, so you don't have to keep your phone screen on while listening to a podcast on YouTube. Plus, you can do other things, like check your workout tracking app or even respond to a text message, without disturbing the podcast you're listening to.

Here are some reasons why many people are sticking with YouTube Premium despite the price increase. Sure, no one is happy to pay more, but you get a lot of value from YouTube. People are more likely to end their subscription to Netflix, Apple TV, or some other streaming platform before they stop paying for YouTube Premium.