After 1,400 hours watched I can not surrender this streaming service

I watch YouTube greater than every other streaming platform. You identify it — Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, Max — none of them beat the period of time I spend watching YouTube movies. I grew up through the YouTube growth within the late 2000s, and at this level, YouTube has been part of my life longer than it hasn’t. There are such a lot of creators I watch on the platform now, and so many new fascinating movies on a regular basis, that leaving appears not possible — and so does canceling YouTube Premium.

Two years in the past, I sat within the airport with my buddy, making ready for a red-eye flight from Toronto to London. I used to be downloading films to look at offline on the flight from Prime Video when my buddy requested me: Why do not you get YouTube Premium to obtain movies to look at offline? Till then, the considered subscribing to YouTube Premium had miraculously by no means crossed my thoughts. I swiftly listened to his recommendation, subscribed, and downloaded virtually seven hours of YouTube movies to look at on the flight.

Since then, I have been a loyal subscriber to YouTube Premium for the previous two years. It is develop into an important service for me, and it is exhausting to think about not having it now.

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No adverts is the icing on the cake

I’ve watched over a thousand hours of ad-free movies

Pocket-lint / YouTube

After I first subscribed to YouTube Premium, the very first thing on my thoughts was getting the flexibility to obtain movies for offline use. But it surely wasn’t till I obtained dwelling from my journey to London that I spotted how superb it was to haven’t any adverts on YouTube anymore. Prior to now, there have been so many situations the place I might click on off a video as a result of I obtained an annoyingly lengthy advert. Since I’ve gotten Premium, these days are lengthy gone. And leaping between movies till I discover one thing fascinating to look at is a lot simpler with out adverts.

Some folks argue that Premium is pointless as a consequence of advert blockers, however if you happen to do not use an advert blocker or usually entry YouTube on a tool that does not help them, like your telephone or TV, the worth of Premium will increase considerably. Moreover, with Premium, you are supporting YouTube creators who make investments their time and assets into producing significant content material. Moreover, YouTube is taking a robust stance in opposition to advert blockers, so only a few of them operate successfully anymore.

The worth of YouTube Premium actually relies on how a lot you utilize the service. I do not subscribe to cable TV, and YouTube is the place I eat essentially the most video content material on-line, so for me, it is value paying the $14 month-to-month charge. The opposite day, I checked out my YouTube Premium dashboard for the primary time this 12 months, and it greeted me with a startling statistic. Since subscribing to YouTube Premium, I’ve watched practically 1,400 hours of ad-free movies.

To do the maths, 1,400 hours of watch time equates to 58 days of watching movies. Which means I’ve spent virtually two months watching ad-free movies since I first subscribed 24 months in the past. That statistic alone made me understand that out of all the opposite streaming companies I subscribe to, notably Disney+ and Prime Video proper now, that YouTube was the one I obtained essentially the most worth from, and satirically sufficient, it is the service that does not even technically require a subscription to look at it within the first place.

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I concern a YouTube Premium value hike

YouTube ought to add a mid-tier Premium subscription

The final time YouTube Premium obtained a value hike was in the summertime of 2023, when it went up $2 a month from $12 to $14. I used to be offended at this hike, however I handled it since I loved the ad-free expertise and the offline downloads, as I traveled fairly a bit in 2023 and 2024. Nevertheless, I concern what’s going to occur if YouTube Premium will get one other value hike. If it does, relying on its severity, it is going to develop into more durable to justify the value of the service. It is already on the steeper finish now, contemplating it is simply an ad-free expertise with just a few unique quality-of-life options. However a brand new choice will quickly be on the desk.

YouTube not too long ago introduced its revival of Premium Lite, which can quickly be out there within the US and prices $8 a month. Nevertheless, for some odd motive, it isn’t but out there for buy. Premium Lite is claimed to supply “most movies ad-free.” Advertisements will nonetheless be on music movies, some Shorts, and the YouTube Music service. The additional options, akin to offline downloads and background play, should not included. Basically, it simply provides an ad-free expertise with none extra perks.

In case you don’t care in regards to the further premium perks, I might one hundred pc suggest Premium Lite to most customers. However I rely an excessive amount of on downloads and background play to forgo them myself. I discover background play extremely helpful for listening to movies within the automobile, like podcasts or different audio content material I can not get on platforms like Spotify. I want there have been a mid-tier YouTube Premium plan that supplied ad-free movies, offline downloads, and background play with out together with YouTube Music. I already subscribe to Spotify and have not used YouTube Music through the two years I’ve had ad-free entry, so I am paying for part of the service I by no means use. I might gladly swap to a extra inexpensive mid-tier Premium subscription that excludes YouTube Music.

Presently, YouTube Premium is a subscription that I discover exhausting to surrender. After watching 1,360 hours of ad-free movies over the previous two years, I really feel there isn’t a turning again now. The worth is steep at $14 per 30 days, and a mid-tier choice between Premium Lite and Premium would enchantment extra to somebody like me. However for now, I discover the service so worthwhile that I am going to let YouTube hold taking my cash, however admittedly, if YouTube tries to lift the value once more, I might need to re-evaluate issues.

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