In addition to increasing the number of ads from two to five, the Youtube video-sharing network is also considering putting up a paywall for 4K videos. With its Premium plan, YouTube is starting to look like it’s running out of options.
Recently, Google is already testing a new restriction on YouTube’s free tier. People who don’t pay for the service it has did complain that they can’t see 4K content. A lot of them shared screenshots of the new features with the community.
The word “Premium” next to the 4K (2160p) option in the above screenshot suggests that it may one day is only available to paying customers.
The steadily increasing number of ads and this pilot program are both, however, only available to a small group of people. If you don’t see this restriction on your YouTube account, that means you are not in the public test.
Also, YouTube Premium is one of the most expensive social media subscriptions. In the United States, it costs $11.99 a month to watch videos without commercials and download them to watch later. It also lets you skip videos at will on YouTube Music and watch exclusive videos on YouTube Originals.
Still, Pakistanis who want to watch videos in 4K or skip commercials need to find other ways, as the service is not yet available there. If YouTube doesn’t eventually let you watch 4K videos without using a third-party service. You can use a service like YouTube related, which does. Know that this is not the official YouTube and that you do this at your own risk.
Thankfully, YouTube’s test of having up to ten ads that you couldn’t skip before a video never went live. It’s clear, though, that Google is trying to get as many Premium users as possible.
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