YouTube Premium Price Raised in Seven Countries Following Crackdown on Ad Blockers

YouTube Premium is set to get more expensive in multiple countries as the Google-owned streaming platform looks to increase revenues from subscribers. The company recently began rolling out a mechanism to prevent users with ad blockers from accessing the service. Customers who are already paying for YouTube Premium will have a grace period of three months before they will have to pay the new monthly subscription. YouTube Premium subscribers get access to ad-free videos, the ability to watch videos or listen to music in the background, and enhanced full-HD video streaming.

On Thursday, the streaming service emailed customers in seven countries (via 9to5Google) that the price of a YouTube Premium subscription would be increased. The prices of both the audio-only YouTube Music Premium tier has also been raised, along with the main Premium subscription. The email mentions that the new pricing for YouTube Premium went into effect on November 1.

The countries where YouTube Premium is getting more expensive include Argentina, Australia, Austria, Chile, Germany, Poland, and Turkey. Existing customers will continue to be charged the old pricing for “at least three extra months” while new subscribers will have to pay the new price, according to the company's email.

Pricing for YouTube Premium in India remains unchanged for the moment, and the firm currently charges subscribers Rs. 129 per month after a three-month trial, while the prepaid monthly option costs Rs. 139. Similarly, the three-month subscription costs Rs. 399, while an annual subscription to YouTube Premium costs Rs. 1,290. 

Earlier this week, Google confirmed it was cracking down on ad blockers, effectively blocking the use of tools that block ads on the service. Users who have an adblocking extension enabled will see a pop up that says “Video playback is blocked unless YouTube is allowlisted or the ad blocker is disabled” — while asking them to subscribe to YouTube Premium, or allow ads on the streaming platform.  

“The use of ad blockers violate YouTube's Terms of Service. We've launched a global effort to urge viewers with ad blockers enabled to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium for an ad free experience. Ads support a diverse ecosystem of creators globally and allow billions to access their favourite content on YouTube,” the platform's official statement read at the time.