YouTube might start making you subscribe to YouTube Premium if you want to watch videos in 4K, a new user test seems to suggest.
A Reddit thread seems to show images of non-Premium YouTube users who have reported seeing 4K resolution and higher video options being paywalled. The thread was highlighted on Twitter by leaker Alvin. High quality videos seem to be accessible only by YouTube Premium subscribers on some users’ iOS devices. Videos are currently only available to stream at a maximum of 1440p (QHD) resolution.
The experiment so far seems to be affecting some YouTube users for now. However, it definitely signals that Google is eyeing implementing a paywall for high-quality videos in the future.
Google has been pushing for ways to further monetize the YouTube platform over the past few months. Back in September, YouTube tried to introduce five unskippable ads for some users in a test. As expected, the test was not popular with the grand majority of YouTube users.
Should YouTube implement a paywall on resolution, it will most likely not cause the same level of uproar seen over the high count of unskippable ads. Albeit, there will certainly be backlash over such a decision.
YouTube Premium currently offers users the ability to watch without ads, gives background playback, and the ability to download videos to watch offline. It currently goes for $11.99 monthly.
The subscription service still does not seem to be very popular with YouTube users however. Only 50 million are signed up to YouTube Premium since it launched back in 2014. It’s a small figure compared to the nearly 2 billion active monthly users YouTube sees.
There’s no telling if paywalling resolution will increase that figure or not.
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Zainah Yousef
Zainah Yousef is the author of The Fallen Age Saga and specializes in gaming, social media advice, and reviews. She's been writing all her life and she probably won't stop anytime soon.
