What is YouTube Premium, and Does it Benefit the Creators?
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Every online platform works around the clock to revamp its website to offer various benefits to its audience. In 2018, Google took one step up to revamp YouTube by introducing YouTube Premium. It was launched in 16 countries in addition to the United States. YouTube subscribers had two options, YouTube and YouTube Premium. But what is YouTube Premium? How does it benefit the creators?
YouTube Premium
The increasing video viewership led to the upsurge in activities in the digital world. The increase in activity on the web led to service providers offering better connectivity. Faster and dependable internet connection paved the way for the introduction of several video sharing websites that cater to the needs of their audience. The increasing competition pushed the sites to offer better services to their viewers. The biggest and the most popular video-sharing platform YouTube offered numerous free contents under YouTube, and to improve the viewer experience; they introduced YouTube Premium.
YouTube Premium is a paid subscription membership offered by Google to real YouTube subscribers. The increased number of YouTube views on the free version that includes ads led to the new plan wherein YouTube subscribers can enjoy all-encompassing, advertisement-free services from the channel. Here is what you get for your subscription.
Ad-free Videos
Advertisements can be annoying, especially when they appear in between an interesting video. YouTube Premium offers ad-free and break-free content on any device.
Background Play
Locking your screen does not end the entertainment. With YouTube Premium, you can listen to videos, music, and podcasts even when the screen is locked.
Offline Playback
Videos can be downloaded to be viewed later. Offline videos are a blessing to many You-Tubers.
Premium Music
The subscription also gives you ad-free access to YouTube’s dedicated music application YouTube Music, as well as its catalog of abundant songs.
Originals
It also offers advertisement-free access to YouTube original movies and television shows and exclusive access to all premium content.
The perks offered by YouTube Premium are good indeed. But many believe that it is one of their strategies to increase channel growth. It is vital to know whether subscribing to Premium is good or bad. Is the premium package good for you?
What is good about YouTube Premium?
The benefits of YouTube Premium offered to real YouTube subscribers have already been mentioned in the offer. A monthly subscription offers background play of music and videos, downloads, access to YouTube Originals, YouTube Music Premium, and all advertisement free. Many of the users are wise enough to use ad-blockers on their personal computers. They enjoy ad-free content. But what about mobile phones? It is not only difficult but at present, it is next to impossible to avoid advertisements while watching videos on YouTube using a mobile application. The implementation of unskippable ads and double pre-roll makes it difficult to escape advertisements.
The benefits of Premium is best enjoyed by YouTube subscribers who regularly depend on the platform for their video content. It is hard to understate how great the benefits are if you spend a significant time on YouTube. Subscribing to Premium is also a good choice for those who watch the content using their mobile phones. In addition, can you imagine the pleasure of watching uninterrupted content on the big screen on your television? You will not only be free from watching advertisements; you will not be interrupted by any trailers from YouTube Originals as well.
Music lovers can benefit greatly from subscribing to Premium. The subscription gives them access to YouTube Music that has a huge catalog of songs. The never-ending list of songs included in YouTube Premium allows you to find any obscure song you can think of. Even the snobbiest music fans would be pleased by the variety of genre and artists in the list, and for them, YouTube Premium would be worth for YouTube Music alone.
Is there anything bad?
The first ad-free subscription was offered in 2015 under the name YouTube Music Key. It removed advertisements from all videos on all devices. The subscription lets you stream music as well as music videos ad-free. Google later changed the name from YouTube Music Key to YouTube Red. When YouTube Red was launched, all marketing efforts concentrated on Originals. Premium simply offers more benefits. Like any other platform, there are quite a few things that need improvement.
While YouTube Premium offers access to all Original content, it is not exclusive to them. Free YouTube account holders can view most of the Originals but with advertisements interrupting them. To add to the list of concerns, the quality of the content is deteriorating as well. The platform favors celebrity content and pushes aside content offered by YouTubers, and squandering the immense potential of YouTube creators. Unfortunately, creators are being squished by celebrity content. Several creators have the potential to out-do celebrities, and YouTube can keep competitors at bay by collaborating with such creators.
There are a lot of hidden talents that need to be exposed to the world. The recommendations offered by YouTube Originals are mostly by celebrities and established creators. The recommendations subtly increase the YouTube views but not promote creators who have the ability to offer content that can bring in more audience into the platform. YouTube Premium offers immense benefits to subscribers, but what about creators?
Does YouTube Premium help creators?
The Premium features are just right for video fanatics, but creators will applaud the subscription for a different reason. While viewers can expect an advertisement-free viewer experience, access to the original content, and a few other features, creators get what they always wanted. Did you know that YouTube creators can generate some extra money with YouTube Premium?
How can you make money as a creator?
What is more important to a creator in addition to being appreciated for their talent and efforts? With YouTube Premium, they get what they always wanted; ways to increase revenue on the channel. Revenue sharing is an advantage that is not mentioned enough. YouTube shares the revenue earned with a Premium subscription with creators. The revenue share is based on every view they receive from real YouTube subscribers. It includes demonetized videos as well!
No matter the portion of the revenue sharing, YouTube distributes revenue earned from YouTube Premium based on ‘Watch Time.’ Creators’ earning is based on the time spent by the subscriber on their content. Higher the watch time, the higher the revenue. For instance, if one channel receives higher watch time from Premium subscribers compared to other channels, it earns a larger chunk of the revenue as well.
Just as it does with advertisement generated revenue earning, YouTube takes 45% of revenue from the creator’s Premium earning. But every video that is available for free is also available under YouTube Premium. So, if a Premium YouTube subscriber watches a creator’s video, it contributes to ‘Watch Time,’ and the creator earns a share of the revenue generated by YouTube Premium.
One must not underestimate the potential of YouTube Premium. The concept is relatively new, and YouTube audiences and YouTubers are still warming up to it. As much as increasing Watch Time may sound like a difficult goal to reach, YouTube audiences are on the lookout for new videos. YouTube may be promoting celebrity videos on Premium, but the audience is searching for more than just celebrities and unwavering content. They need more!
YouTube is also beta-testing a new feature that allows Premium subscribers to send money to their subscribers during live streaming. At present, YouTube is adding Super Chat credits to its Premium account using which viewers can donate to creators. The feature is likely to be permanent, given which creators could earn their worth.
To wrap up, is the amount spent justified?
As much as YouTube Premium offers several benefits, does it justify the amount spent on the subscription? It is the only critical qualm that users have against YouTube. Unless the subscriber is taking full advantage of the features, the amount spent for a month’s subscription is a waste. Ad-free viewing does offer a pleasant experience, but only an avid user can take full benefit of the amount paid.
YouTube Premium must be someone looking for a decent music streaming service in addition to the ad-free content. The unending list of music from different artists and genres is worth every penny. You cannot go wrong with your subscription if you use YouTube regularly and you have no other subscriptions or substitutes such as Netflix or Hulu. A dedicated user can benefit immensely from YouTube Premium.
Does YouTube Premium justify the talent of the creators? The question is a little difficult to answer. As much as creators can benefit from revenue sharing, the question still stands whether they will receive the exposure they deserve. YouTube is more inclined towards celebrity videos, which are promoted often, believing they can increase their viewership. But changing times are changing the likes of viewers as well. YouTube subscribers are showing interest in newer content. Creativity is the key to increasing YouTube views, and creators are doing just that. If the newest feature that allows Premium subscribers to donate revenue to creators rolls out, it would immensely contribute towards the growth of the much-deserved creators of YouTube.
