YouTube has always been one of the most popular video platforms in the world with billions of users, but with the advent of YouTube Premium, it has become even more appealing to netizens. Previously known as Music Key and YouTube Red, YouTube Premium is a subscription service that offers several benefits, including ad-free access to content across the platform, premium YouTube Originals programming, podcast music free, and access to the YouTube Music music streaming service.
YouTube first introduced a subscription service in November 2014, known as Music Key. This service was a collaboration between YouTube and Google Play Music, and it was designed to provide ad-free playback of music videos from participating labels on YouTube. In addition to ad-free playback, Music Key also offered background and offline playback of music videos on mobile devices and access to Google Play Music All Access, which provided ad-free audio streaming of a library of music.
Despite the popularity of Music Key, the limited scope of the service led to mixed reactions from users. Some users were confused as to why certain videos were not considered "music" and thus not advertisement-free. In response to these concerns, YouTube revised and relaunched the service as YouTube Red in October 2015. Features of YouTube Red are slightly different from Music Key: YouTube Red offers an ad-free streaming experience for both music videos and other content while Music Key is streaming only for music videos.
In order to realize YouTube Red, the YouTube management team got in touch with the content creators and copyright owners to get their explicit permission. By signing a detailed contract, both content creators and copyright owners granted rights to YouTube and agreed to receive part of the revenue gained through their content.
With the aim of competing with other streaming services like Hulu, Amazon Prime, or Netflix, YouTube red also started producing original content under the umbrella of YouTube Originals. This content was created in collaboration with prominent YouTube personalities and professional producers, and it was designed to mitigate the loss of profits from the use of ad-blockers.
YouTube Red was officially launched in October 2015, and it quickly gained popularity among users. The service expanded to several countries outside the United States, including Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Mexico, and more. In addition, YouTube Red support was added to the YouTube Kids app in August 2016, making it easier for parents to provide their children with ad-free access to content.
In May 2018, YouTube officially kickstarted the rebranding process of YouTube Red as YouTube Premium. Moreover, it announced YouTube Music as a distinct and independent music streaming service. Today, YouTube Premium continues to offer users ad-free access to content across the platform, premium YouTube Originals programming, and access to the YouTube Music streaming service. Whether you're a music lover, a video enthusiast, or simply someone who hates ads, YouTube Premium is the ultimate solution for all your needs.
