YouTube Premium users across the globe are facing significant price hikes as Google increases subscription costs in over a dozen countries. This follows earlier price jumps in various regions, including the United States last summer. The latest increases vary by region, with some countries experiencing hikes between 30% to 50%. For instance, in Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Italy, the Family plan will rise from €18 to €26 starting November, while the individual plan will increase by €2 to €14.

Countries affected by these changes include Ireland, Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, UAE, Switzerland, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Colombia, Thailand, Singapore, Norway, Sweden, Czech Republic, and Denmark. Although most Reddit reports are from European users, the price hikes also impact the Middle East, Colombia, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia. YouTube had already raised its subscription prices in India by 15–20% in late August.

  • elliot_crane@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    It is morally correct to adblock youtube.

    E: I can’t hear any of these counterpoints over the sweet ad-free youtube I’m getting for free.

        • Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee
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          6 months ago

          Yup. But people would rather just carp on about Revanced and Insidious or whatever, as if everyone has the time to and the inclination to set that up.

          Meanwhile, everyone else will piss and moan for a month, then pay up and keep watching.

          • Ostrichgrif@lemmy.world
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            6 months ago

            If you have the time to watch YouTube enough that you’re considering premium you have enough time to set up these systems. The time it saves you makes back the setup time very quickly for someone watching even a moderate amount of YouTube.

            • Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee
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              6 months ago

              If you have time to relax and watch your favourite creators, you have time to set up arcane systems to avoid seeing ads!

              No. YouTube is relaxing time, not doing work time.

          • Gamoc@lemmy.world
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            6 months ago

            What the hell are you talking about? I download an apk, I install it, I’m done. How many ads will you sit through before you’ve wasted the whole minute it would’ve taken to do?

    • kameecoding@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Wouldnt that just cause them to increase prices more? Since now someone else has to pay for the bandwith you use?

      Thus what you are doing is using your technological know how to offload your costs onto less technical users who can’t adblock.

      The morally correct thing to do is to stop watching youtube and/pr go to a paid platform that’s an alternative, like floatplane or nebula and support the creators there, isn’t it? But let’s be honest, we all know you just want adfree youtube videos for free.

  • Juice@midwest.social
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    6 months ago

    I can’t wait for google to crash and burn. Bring back GeoCities and Netscape navigator.

      • Juice@midwest.social
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        6 months ago

        Google is having problems, they can’t make profits anymore. Its different because reddit was never profitable, but googles been profitable for years.

        Edit: I said they can’t make profits, but what I should have said is they can’t innovate and produce new value, they can only cut expenses and squeeze consumers with subscriptions and advertisements in order to remain profitable. Eventually there won’t be anything left to cut and will then cease to be profitable. Google is on the decline.

        • dependencyinjection@discuss.tchncs.de
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          6 months ago

          My first comment wasn’t rude, but I’ll concede that my second one was because you incorrectly assumed I was calling out something about your psychology.

          As for the information you provided, nothing in there hinted at Google failing as a company and more just highlighting some of the failings of recent times.

          • Juice@midwest.social
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            6 months ago

            “You made me be rude after I insulted you and you called me out on it”

            Leave me alone. I’ve wasted enough time on you. You clearly have your mind made up and can’t even comprehend why someone would be skeptical of a company that is driving away its users and advertisers, of which I provided many examples. I wrote several paragraphs supporting my argument, and several sources. You responded in seconds with two sentences. Hopefully you wise up before taking a bath on whatever your investments are. I wish you all the best in life, but this is finished.

            • dependencyinjection@discuss.tchncs.de
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              6 months ago

              I never said that and I never insulted you in the first comment. I used the word hopium which is pretty common word to use these days.

              For what it’s worth I apologise if you misinterpreted my initial comment and you feel offended as that wasn’t my intention.

              Anyway have a great rest of your day and let’s draw a line under this.

  • TheObviousSolution@lemm.ee
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    6 months ago

    It’s so odd that a platform that relies so much on user content charges as much as or more than network streaming services. The market hold is leaking into it (and out).

  • umami_wasabi@lemmy.ml
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    6 months ago
    • Firefox + uBO
    • NewPipe/LibrePipe/GrayJay
    • FreeTube

    They all are free, no subscription required

    And sorry Apple users, I don’t know what option you have cuz I don’t use Apple.

  • spicystraw@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Been paying for years now, got a 50% price hike. Canceled on the spot. I like the creators I follow, but recommendations have sucked for me for several months now anyway.

    Any advice for streaming ad free on Chromecast or Samsung tv?

    • J4g2F@lemmy.ml
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      6 months ago

      I’m in the same boat as you and never found anything for Samsung tizen os. Smarttube is android based only and anything streamed to a Chromecast still has ads.

      Edit: okay I thought let’s search one’s more. And there is tizentube did not try it yet but seems promising

    • Gregor@gregtech.eu
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      6 months ago

      Bitwarden is worth it. (Yes, I know, I should self host it. I do, but I still see it as a good deal.) Also Hetzner is a good subscription. So yes, some are worth it

    • BananaTrifleViolin@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      I pay for my email (Proton) password manager (last pass), and VPN (nordvpn).

      I’d say subs that maintain your privacy and security are well worth it - there is no such thing as a free lunch and instead the tech giants are dining out at the expense of users.

      Googles ad monopoly needs to be torn apart. Because YouTube premium prices may actually represent what it really costs to maintain video sites like YouTube, but Google have managed to destroy all competition with the free model and now there is no one realistically able to compete on content or price.

    • dmtalon@infosec.pub
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      6 months ago

      So, steal everything or something else? Content isn’t free. The ad model exists, but only works if people see the ads.

      If everyone blocks all ads, and doesn’t pay a subscription, how’s that work for those providing the service?

      I’m not defending YouTube here, just curious what your solution is to have a service and not pay for it.

      I do pay for YT family Premium in the US. I watch mostly YT, and it is my music streaming service. I definitely​ liked it more when it was costing me $15/mo for that and was mad when that went to $23. I even tried switching to Spotify and using ad blocking on YT. I didn’t jive with Spotify, and while ad blockers work for YT, it’s a bit of a pain installing them on TV boxes and managing subscriptions across devices, asking with which videos you’ve seen etc.

        • dmtalon@infosec.pub
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          6 months ago

          YouTube is but one, and as I said while the story is about yt I was talking Mir in general. How do you pay for content/services in general?

          Right now with via ads or a subscription.

  • oakey66@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    You gotta make up for a lack of innovation but just price gouging customers on absolutely everything. I only have Spotify because of the radio function but otherwise all of these services are absolute dog shit. They don’t offer anything new. They’ve just created a new set of moats for features, songs, videos, television and games. Eventually this system has to collapse because treating customers like employees that have no choice but to stay will lead people to innovate on piracy.

  • solsangraal@lemmy.zip
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    6 months ago

    lol and they’ll raise prices again next year. and people will complain for a minute, then renew their sub

    when is this going to stop being news?

  • Stalinwolf@lemmy.ca
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    6 months ago

    I’ve been paying $25 CAD to support five family accounts and prevent my daughter from seeing ads during her monitored viewing. If that price goes up 30-50%, I’m fucking done. This was an expense I was willing to incur, as YouTube is literally the only media platform my family even uses anymore. Better price than cable and multiple streaming platforms, and (again) I’m paying that for five active accounts.

    If anyone knows of a way for me to adblock through my Roku TV so that we can continue watching YouTube on it without a Premium account, I’m all ears. The TV is the only reason I’m not just using uBlock to begin with. I’m really not into the idea of hooking a laptop up via HDMI if I can avoid it. Just feels like a sloppy user experience for anyone else in the household wanting to watch YouTube on TV.

      • PoopMonster@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        Pihole doesn’t block YouTube ads as it’s only a dns blocker, Google serves the ads from the same servers as the videos from what I understand. Adguard home works the same.

  • Usernameblankface@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Unless the backlash is a huge percentage of users immediately stop using the service, they won’t care. They already calculated how many users they’d lose and how much more profit they get to bring in off of those who decide to stay.