After 1,400 hours watched I can not quit this stre...

I watch YouTube greater than some 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 in the course of the YouTube increase 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 attention-grabbing movies on a regular basis, that leaving appears inconceivable — and so does canceling YouTube Premium.

Two years in the past, I sat within the airport with my pal, getting 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 pal 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 nearly 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 grow to be a vital service for me, and it is exhausting to think about not having it now.

Associated

YouTube Premium Lite could be a game-changer, if only I could sign up for it

YouTube Premium Lite sounds nice, however I can not enroll.

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 power to obtain movies for offline use. However it wasn’t till I received residence from my journey to London that I noticed how wonderful it was to haven’t any adverts on YouTube anymore. Up to now, there have been so many situations the place I might click on off a video as a result of I received an annoyingly lengthy advert. Since I’ve gotten Premium, these days are lengthy gone. And leaping between movies till I discover one thing attention-grabbing to look at is a lot simpler with out adverts.

Some individuals argue that Premium is pointless because of advert blockers, however in the event you do not use an advert blocker or typically entry YouTube on a tool that does not assist 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 powerful stance in opposition to advert blockers, so only a few of them operate successfully anymore.

The worth of YouTube Premium really will depend on how a lot you utilize the service. I do not subscribe to cable TV, and YouTube is the place I devour essentially the most video content material on-line, so for me, it is price paying the $14 month-to-month payment. 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 almost 1,400 hours of ad-free movies.

To do the mathematics, 1,400 hours of watch time equates to 58 days of watching movies. Which means I’ve spent nearly 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 received essentially the most worth from, and sarcastically sufficient, it is the service that does not even technically require a subscription to look at it within the first place.

Associated

New data suggests Netflix could be just $5 away from collapse

With subscription fatigue at a fever pitch, a brand new survey signifies that right this moment’s streaming bubble would possibly burst sooner reasonably than later.

I worry a YouTube Premium worth hike

YouTube ought to add a mid-tier Premium subscription

The final time YouTube Premium received a worth 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 worry what’s going to occur if YouTube Premium will get one other worth hike. If it does, relying on its severity, it can grow to be 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 a number of unique quality-of-life options. However a brand new choice will quickly be on the desk.

YouTube just lately introduced its revival of Premium Lite, which can quickly be out there within the US and prices $8 a month. Nevertheless, for some odd purpose, it isn’t but out there for buy. Premium Lite is alleged to supply “most movies ad-free.” Adverts 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 gives an ad-free expertise with none extra perks.

In the event you don’t care in regards to the further premium perks, I might 100% 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 automotive, 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 provided 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 in the course of 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.

At present, 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 is no such thing as a turning again now. The worth is steep at $14 monthly, and a mid-tier choice between Premium Lite and Premium would attraction 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 may need to re-evaluate issues.

Associated

The OnePlus 13 mini could be the ultimate Android flagship

Leaks point out that the OnePlus 13 mini may launch shortly, providing some enhancements over the OnePlus 13.