this post was submitted on 24 Sep 2024
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YouTube Premium users across the globe are facing significant price hikes as Google increases subscription costs in over a dozen countries. This follows earlier price jumps in various regions, including the United States last summer. The latest increases vary by region, with some countries experiencing hikes between 30% to 50%. For instance, in Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Italy, the Family plan will rise from €18 to €26 starting November, while the individual plan will increase by €2 to €14.

Countries affected by these changes include Ireland, Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, UAE, Switzerland, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Colombia, Thailand, Singapore, Norway, Sweden, Czech Republic, and Denmark. Although most Reddit reports are from European users, the price hikes also impact the Middle East, Colombia, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia. YouTube had already raised its subscription prices in India by 15–20% in late August.

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[–] elliot_crane@lemmy.world 142 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (30 children)

It is morally correct to adblock youtube.

E: I can’t hear any of these counterpoints over the sweet ad-free youtube I’m getting for free.

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[–] Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca 101 points 2 months ago (19 children)

just cancel all subscriptions. None of them are worth it

[–] gregor@gregtech.eu 39 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (24 children)

Bitwarden is worth it. (Yes, I know, I should self host it. I do, but I still see it as a good deal.) Also Hetzner is a good subscription. So yes, some are worth it

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[–] umami_wasbi@lemmy.ml 72 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (8 children)
  • Firefox + uBO
  • NewPipe/LibrePipe/GrayJay
  • FreeTube

They all are free, no subscription required

And sorry Apple users, I don't know what option you have cuz I don't use Apple.

[–] gilarelli@jlai.lu 11 points 2 months ago (5 children)

Freetube doesn't seem to work anymore (for me at least) as Google went hard on blocking all invidious instances and proxies...

[–] _Sprite@lemmy.world 28 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (3 children)

Change your API backend to LocalAPI in the settings. It still works that way on Freetube and Libretube

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[–] AbsoluteChicagoDog@lemm.ee 48 points 2 months ago (10 children)

Remember: Everything premium offers used to be included for free

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[–] NOT_RICK@lemmy.world 47 points 2 months ago

Funny, I still pay them my same flat fee of nada

[–] solsangraal@lemmy.zip 46 points 2 months ago (3 children)

lol and they'll raise prices again next year. and people will complain for a minute, then renew their sub

when is this going to stop being news?

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago (2 children)

This is simply Business 101. Once you have a customer base you want to trade low-payers for high.

Did this with my computer business years ago. Woke up one day and said, "Why am I sweating these cheapskates that constantly bitch?" Fired them and kept the higher-paying, and less bitchy, clients. I was making more money for less effort and less overhead.

I don't know what amazes me more, that people keep paying when they know the price will keep going up, or that people bitch and moan. Last I checked, YouTube access isn't a human right. I'll keep using it until these is no way around their ads, but I'm not paying them a dime.

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[–] Juice@midwest.social 40 points 2 months ago (6 children)

I can't wait for google to crash and burn. Bring back GeoCities and Netscape navigator.

[–] dependencyinjection@discuss.tchncs.de 22 points 2 months ago (8 children)

Like Reddit dying after the API incident?

Just like Reddit, Google are going nowhere; sadly.

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[–] OldQWERTYbastard@lemmy.world 36 points 2 months ago (12 children)

Use NewPipe if you're on Android.

You're welcome.

[–] PotatoesFall@discuss.tchncs.de 12 points 2 months ago

Firefox + uBlock Origin already does it too. No ads, and I can listen even when my phone is locked.

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[–] amorpheus@lemmy.world 35 points 2 months ago (2 children)

The nice thing about hiking your prices by 50% is that unless a whole third of your users quit, you haven't lost anything.

[–] EddoWagt@feddit.nl 19 points 2 months ago (1 children)

you haven't lost anything

Apart from all future customers that will now choose another service

[–] GiddyGap@lemm.ee 40 points 2 months ago

That's the good thing about a monopoly. You don't have to worry about customers choosing another service.

[–] CosmoNova@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

You don't lose anything for the moment, but it might come back to bite you later regardless. Because Youtube needs to grow until the end of times but can't, it will end ugly one way or another. It's more of a symptom of a bigger problem than an isolated, 'smart' business decision.

[–] Usernameblankface@lemmy.world 31 points 2 months ago

Unless the backlash is a huge percentage of users immediately stop using the service, they won't care. They already calculated how many users they'd lose and how much more profit they get to bring in off of those who decide to stay.

[–] spicystraw@lemmy.world 26 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (10 children)

Been paying for years now, got a 50% price hike. Canceled on the spot. I like the creators I follow, but recommendations have sucked for me for several months now anyway.

Any advice for streaming ad free on Chromecast or Samsung tv?

[–] ben_dover@lemmy.ml 13 points 2 months ago

smarttube on tv

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[–] whome@discuss.tchncs.de 24 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Yeah they are continuously slowing down Firefox and I see a future where I will simply stop using YouTube.i thank them in advance for when that day comes

[–] eronth@lemmy.world 11 points 2 months ago (2 children)

More and more I try to find my entertainment elsewhere. I am slowly, but surely, migrating away from youtube (and google in general).

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[–] selokichtli@lemmy.ml 23 points 2 months ago

Can't wait to see this bubble burst.

[–] notsorryforpartying@lemmy.world 23 points 2 months ago

I've been paying for YouTube premium and have been watching a ton of YouTube for years. But I've been finding myself watching less and less YouTube lately and this might be the push to finally cancel and back away some from the platform.

[–] CosmoNova@lemmy.world 22 points 2 months ago

Youtube doing what I told every Premium adversary they would logically do after dumping more and more ad space onto the site. And to make Premium look worth the price, they'll continue to shove more ads in your face just before, you guessed it, doing another price hike. Rinse and repeat. Premium users are strong drivers of this enshittification so I will continue to call them out on it whenever they tell you to join the scam as well. I'll stick to my ad blockers.

[–] Teils13@lemmy.eco.br 22 points 2 months ago

The Peertube protocol developers should develop a central hub webpage space for newcomers, allow accounts there to follow all channels in every instance (and to only follow and block specific instances too), and then develop apps for smart tvs. It's the only realistic FOSS alternative to Youtube i can think of, and i dont know why the first point is still non existent (having already subscribed to several channels in 3 instances using separate accounts).

[–] TheObviousSolution@lemm.ee 20 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (7 children)

It's so odd that a platform that relies so much on user content charges as much as or more than network streaming services. The market hold is leaking into it (and out).

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[–] drdiddlybadger@pawb.social 19 points 2 months ago

I hadn't realized how high it was until seeing this and canceled mine.

[–] Mandy@sh.itjust.works 18 points 2 months ago (2 children)

And this is what happens cause the vast mayority of people don't give a rats ass as long as they can consume

Welcome to the monopoly

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[–] oakey66@lemmy.world 18 points 2 months ago

You gotta make up for a lack of innovation but just price gouging customers on absolutely everything. I only have Spotify because of the radio function but otherwise all of these services are absolute dog shit. They don’t offer anything new. They’ve just created a new set of moats for features, songs, videos, television and games. Eventually this system has to collapse because treating customers like employees that have no choice but to stay will lead people to innovate on piracy.

[–] SaharaMaleikuhm 18 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I just checked and ublock origin is still free. What a relief

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[–] KingThrillgore@lemmy.ml 15 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I'm slowly using YouTube less and less. The experience is worse because of the ads and Premium costs.

[–] arc@lemm.ee 14 points 2 months ago (4 children)

People pay YouTube instead of using an adblocker?

[–] underthesign@lemmy.world 13 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Please tell me a simple, idiot-proof way to block YT ads on all devices incl. Mobiles, Shield etc. that doesn't require something complex like piHole, works outside the home (family's phones etc. ), and doesn't risk blocking stuff it shouldn't. That's my trouble. Premium solves all of that, while bringing other small benefits. Maybe there's a better way.

[–] mechoman444@lemmy.world 12 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Easy peasy. Lemon squeezy.

Firefox-ublock (even better on Linux but not required)

Revanced for mobile.

Pihole doesn't stop youtube ads anyhow.

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[–] Stalinwolf@lemmy.ca 14 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (5 children)

I've been paying $25 CAD to support five family accounts and prevent my daughter from seeing ads during her monitored viewing. If that price goes up 30-50%, I'm fucking done. This was an expense I was willing to incur, as YouTube is literally the only media platform my family even uses anymore. Better price than cable and multiple streaming platforms, and (again) I'm paying that for five active accounts.

If anyone knows of a way for me to adblock through my Roku TV so that we can continue watching YouTube on it without a Premium account, I'm all ears. The TV is the only reason I'm not just using uBlock to begin with. I'm really not into the idea of hooking a laptop up via HDMI if I can avoid it. Just feels like a sloppy user experience for anyone else in the household wanting to watch YouTube on TV.

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[–] Cringe2793@lemmy.world 13 points 2 months ago (5 children)

Absurd to pay so much just to remove ads only for smart TVs. There are easy ways to block ads on phones and computers.

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[–] tias@discuss.tchncs.de 13 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

Woah. I just cancelled my subscription last week because it's too expensive, and now they raise the prices further. Guess they really don't want me back.

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[–] gwilikers@lemmy.ml 12 points 2 months ago (1 children)
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[–] capital@lemmy.world 9 points 2 months ago

If history is any indication, they will complain and no significant number of them will cancel.

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