Code found in a YouTube app update suggests that Google is preparing to launch channels that run on a paid access model. According to Android Police, the latest Android version of YouTube includes the following lines:
YouTube app update code hints paid channels are coming
is a senior tech and policy editor focused on online platforms and free expression. Adi has covered virtual and augmented reality, the history of computing, and more for The Verge since 2011.
<string name="paid_channel_subscribe_message">You can only subscribe to this paid channel on your computer.</string>
<string name="paid_channel_unsubscribe_message">You can only unsubscribe from this paid channel on your computer.</string>
We haven’t yet been able to confirm for ourselves, but the messages seem fairly straightforward, backing up the reports that we heard in January. At that point, AdAge sources said that YouTube planned to launch channels that would cost between $1 and $5 a month to subscribe to, with the option to include ads.
Paid channels could include a combination of currently successful YouTube feeds and ones created specifically for the program. Google is also said to be in talks to create a Spotify-like music subscription service, which could be revealed in the third quarter of 2013, and it already offers movie rentals and pay-per-view live streams.
Update: One of our forum readers confirmed as well. Thanks, TheSebianoti!
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