YouTube Premium simply received its first main value hike in a number of years, suggesting that even Google is feeling the pinch of an unpredictable financial local weather. 

From November, the month-to-month price of YouTube’s Premium household plan – which permits for as much as six accounts to make use of the identical subscription – will leap from $17.99 to $22.99 within the US and Canada, and from £17.99 to £19.99 within the UK. The previous enhance represents a 30% value hike. We have reached out to Google for affirmation of any equal will increase coming to customers in Australia, whose Premium household plan at present prices AU$22.99 per thirty days. 

The leap in month-to-month price will apply to new and current YouTube Premium household customers from November 21, although “long-standing and valued members” who started subscribing to the service previous to its rebrand from YouTube Purple will keep on the identical subscription plans till April 2023. After that, although, all customers will likely be topic to the identical month-to-month charges. 

YouTube is elevating the worth of its Premium household subscription “to proceed delivering nice service and options”, based on a notification electronic mail despatched to current subscribers. The rise represents the primary value change to any tier of YouTube Premium since 2018. 

At current, single-user YouTube Premium plans aren’t being affected by the rise – but it surely solely appears a matter of time earlier than an identical shake-up involves all tiers of the service. 

It appears like Google is bracing itself for a backlash when that does ultimately occur, too. The corporate has arrange a assist web page (opens in new tab) for customers wanting to offer suggestions in regards to the aforementioned value enhance to YouTube Premium’s household plan. Why? In all probability to gauge simply how indignant its clients can be in the event that they pulled the identical trick on all subscription tiers. 

A season of change

The household plan value hike comes after Google’s very public experiments with what really constitutes YouTube Premium. The service presents fee-paying subscribers ad-free viewing, background playback and the flexibility to obtain movies for offline use, however in latest months, Google has flirted with the introduction of a decision paywall totally free YouTube customers – a system that will see 4K video playback made unique to Premium subscribers. 

Fortunately (for non-paying customers, at the very least), Google confirmed in October that it had ended its decision paywall trial. Nonetheless, ought to the corporate determine to hike the worth of YouTube Premium throughout the board, affected subscribers will likely be hoping to get extra for his or her cash than they do with the present Premium bundle. 

For extra YouTube-related content material, try our studies on how YouTube is taking account mentions to the following degree and why we’re so pleased that YouTube widgets have lastly arrived for iOS 16 and iPadOS.