YouTube’s latest revenue grab: A 27 percent price increase for family plans

[Karlston]

After several failed revenue experiments, YouTube decides to just charge more.

 

Jericho / Ron Amadeo

 

Not content with doing $28.8 billion in revenue in 2021, YouTube has recently gone on the hunt for more revenue-generating strategies. So far, we've seen canceled experiments like saddling videos with up to 10 unskippable pre-roll ads and charging for 4K content. Now, the Google division has announced a price hike for YouTube Premium family plans.

 

As 9to5Google was the first to spot, the family plan is jumping over 27 percent in the US, from $17.99 to $22.99, with other regions also seeing price hikes. Instead of making an official announcement, Google is quietly emailing existing subscribers. So far, it does not seem like the single-person YouTube Premium price (still $11.99 per month) is going up. The family plan lets a user share ad-free YouTube Premium with up to five same-household family members for a discounted rate.

 

On iOS, all the prices are higher if you sign up through the App Store, which charges a 30 percent fee on every transaction. In Apple land, YouTube Premium's family plan was always $22.99, and now it's jumping up to $29.99 a month. You can avoid the Apple tax by just paying Google directly through the YouTube website.

 

The new pricing will go into effect on or after November 21 for people who were on the $17.99 plan. Google is also giving users with grandfathered-in deals the boot. If you've been subscribed since the days of Google Play Music All Access in 2015, it's been possible to continue paying $14.99 for a YouTube Premium family plan. Google has told users that those deals are ending in April 2023, and everyone will have to pay the $22.99 price, representing a 53 percent increase.

 

The YouTube subreddit is filled with complaints over the surprise change. YouTube posted a feedback form specifically about the change, where the company is no doubt getting a flood of user feedback. Every YouTube support page features a pinned notice about the price right now, along with a message that YouTube is currently "experiencing high contact volumes." The support page on how to cancel your membership is here.

 

 

YouTube’s latest revenue grab: A 27 percent price increase for family plans