Rumour: Youtube may start charging for some videos

According to some hints floating around several different sites this morning, Youtube could be set to begin charging for certain channel subscriptions, marking the first time that its content has been restricted to a specific user base.

According to the Mashable report and its sources, this payment model could be launching as soon as this week, with the idea behind it, to give shows on the platform more money to work with and therefore produce higher quality content. Each channel is said to cost around $1.99 (£1.28) each, per month, with around 50 channels taking part in the scheme.

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Of course this is all speculation at the moment, but one Youtube spokesperson did say: “We have nothing to announce at this time, but we're looking into creating a subscription platform that could bring even more great content to YouTube for our users to enjoy and provide our creators with another vehicle to generate revenue from their content, beyond the rental and ad-supported models we offer.”

This isn't the first time we've heard hints of Youtube beginning a paid subscription program either, but this is the first time we've been told it'll be happening in a matter of days.

KitGuru Says: So guys, do you think this will pan out? And if so, is a Youtube channel something you'd pay a subscription for? It seems to me that any channel that starts doing so is going to lose a lot of viewers very fast. You aren't getting Psy video numbers if people have to put their credit card details in just to watch it.

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