Rumor: YouTube will begin hiding content behind a paywall in 2016

I’ve always hated how one of the only ways I can support content creators on YouTube is by watching annoying ads, which is why I’ve been so excited for the ad-free subscription service that the company is rumored to be releasing this year. That being said, I was under the impression that the subscription service would remove ads from videos while still letting the content creators make money, that’s it. However, now there are rumors claiming that YouTube will also be offering some premium content that will be exclusive to people who pay for these subscriptions. 

Since the dawn of time – or rather, 2005 – YouTube’s videos have been free to watch. That’s all about to change, as YouTube prepares a raft of content only available to paid users, as reported by re/code. It’s alleged that the Google-owned service, which is currently the market leader for online video, will have exclusive content for those paying a subscription fee. A subscription service has already been heavily rumoured, although it was assumed that paid users would only be given the luxury of avoiding advertisements, as well as access to Music Key. However, the new report suggests there will be paid-for original content in the works, set for a 2016 launch. It’s worth noting that all things point to YouTube continuing a free, ad-supported version of the website. Unfortunately, it’s still not clear how much of YouTube’s content will eventually be hidden behind a paywall. While there’s been plenty of speculation surrounding the growing monetisation of YouTube, Google has remained quiet on the matter. As such, YouTube hasn’t publicly released an official statement regarding the new claims. Would you subscribe to YouTube to ditch ads and access original content? Let us know in the comments.