YouTube Premium
YouTube Premium is Google's ad-free subscription tier for YouTube, bundling background play, downloads, and YouTube Music.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
YouTube Premium is a subscription-based product brand operated by YouTube, a subsidiary of Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.). Launched in 2014 as YouTube Music Key and later rebranded as YouTube Red in 2015, it adopted the YouTube Premium name in 2018. The service removes advertisements from all YouTube videos, enables background and picture-in-picture playback on mobile devices, allows offline downloads, and includes full access to YouTube Music Premium. It is available in over 100 countries and is positioned as a premium, ad-free experience for heavy YouTube users. The brand sits within Google's broader subscription portfolio, which also includes YouTube TV and Google One. YouTube Premium competes with other streaming and music subscription services such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Netflix, though its primary differentiation is the ad-free YouTube experience and integrated music streaming. The service is sold through monthly and annual plans, with family and student tiers. As a product brand under Alphabet, it does not have separate financial reporting but contributes to Google's subscription revenues, which the company has highlighted as a growing business segment.
History
YouTube Premium originated as YouTube Music Key, a music subscription service launched in beta in November 2014. In October 2015, YouTube expanded the offering into a broader ad-free subscription called YouTube Red, which included original programming and ad-free viewing across all of YouTube. The service was rebranded as YouTube Premium in May 2018, alongside the relaunch of YouTube Music as a separate streaming service. The rebranding clarified that YouTube Premium was the ad-free tier for all of YouTube, while YouTube Music Premium focused on music. Over the years, YouTube Premium expanded to more countries and added features such as downloads, background play, and picture-in-picture. In 2023, YouTube raised prices for Premium in several markets, including the United States, and introduced a more expensive Premium tier that included higher-quality 1080p playback with enhanced bitrate. The service has also been bundled with other Google offerings, such as Google One and YouTube TV, in some regions. As of 2024, YouTube Premium is available in over 100 countries and remains a key part of Google's subscription strategy, contributing to the company's growing non-advertising revenue.
- 2023
Price increase in multiple markets; introduced Premium tier with enhanced bitrate 1080p.
- 2018
Rebranded as YouTube Premium; YouTube Music relaunched as separate service.
- 2015
Rebranded as YouTube Red, expanding to ad-free YouTube and original content.
- 2014
Launched as YouTube Music Key in beta.
Products and positioning
Premium ad-free subscription tier for YouTube, targeting frequent viewers who want uninterrupted playback, background listening, and offline access.
YouTube Premium
Ad-free YouTube with background play, downloads, and YouTube Music Premium.
YouTube Music Premium
Music streaming service with ad-free listening, downloads, and background play.
YouTube Premium Family
Up to 5 family members share a Premium subscription.
YouTube Premium Student
Discounted Premium plan for eligible students.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
YouTube tests moving the dislike button to a submenu[2]
Reported:
YouTube appears to be testing moving the dislike button on videos into the three-dots submenu; the article says the test’s rollout scope is unclear.
YouTube announces creator dislike-button interface change[3]
Reported:
YouTube announced a new interface for creators viewing their own uploaded videos, moving the dislike button behind the three-dot menu. YouTube said the interface would roll out to creators in “the coming weeks.”
YouTube adds "Made with AI" labels to AI-generated music tracks[4]
Reported:
YouTube has started rolling out a "Made with AI" label for music tracks that were altered or fully generated using AI. The label began appearing in the YouTube Music app on October 14, 2026, and is set to expand to the main YouTube app later. YouTube said it is teaming up with music partners and using its own detection tools to identify AI-generated tracks, and that songs uploaded without AI disclosure may be flagged based on other signals.
- Unconfirmed
YouTube Premium strikes deal to ingest Peacock content at no extra cost[5]
Reported:
YouTube Premium struck a deal, described as occurring a few weeks before publication, to ingest Peacock content within the subscription service for no extra cost. The article frames the deal in the context of YouTube's objective of building up its Premium service, while noting YouTube Premium does not necessarily want to strike many similar deals and become an aggregator of other companies' streaming services.
YouTube Premium and Music Premium add annual subscriptions[6]
Reported:
Google introduced annual subscription options for YouTube Premium and Music Premium, allowing subscribers to pay annually rather than month to month.
PUBG Mobile partners with YouTube Premium for in-game rewards[7]
Reported:
PUBG Mobile and YouTube Premium partnered to offer players promotional in-game items and a three-month YouTube Premium trial, with new content available monthly through May 28, 2022.
YouTube Introduces Non-Recurring Prepaid Premium Plans in India[8]
Reported:
YouTube announced non-recurring prepaid plans for YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium in India, available on monthly and three-monthly terms. The plans are available to Android users and through YouTube's web service.
- Unconfirmed
YouTube Music and YouTube Premium become available in Malaysia[9]
Reported:
YouTube Music and YouTube Premium became available in Malaysia. YouTube offered new users a free subscription, subject to providing banking details and automatic renewal fees.
Sources9 sources
- 1Google Newsnews.google.com
- 2YouTube 测试将点踩按钮移至子菜单theverge.com
- 3YouTube宣布创作者界面点赞踩按钮调整theverge.com
- 4YouTube为AI生成音乐曲目添加“Made with AI”标签theverge.com
- 5YouTube Premium 达成协议，在服务内引入 Peacock 内容且不额外收费cnbc.com
- 6YouTube Premium与Music Premium推出年度订阅选项pcmag.com
- 7PUBG Mobile 与 YouTube Premium 合作推出游戏内奖励bleedingcool.com
- 8YouTube在印度推出非自动续订的Premium预付费方案financialexpress.com
- 9YouTube Music 和 YouTube Premium 在马来西亚推出thestar.com.my
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