YouTube App Update Suggests Paid Channels Are on the Way

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Code found in YouTube’s most recent app update suggests that Google may be working on pay-to-view channels.

Spotted by Android Police, the code mentions subscribing and unsubscribing from paid YouTube channels, a function that will apparently only be available on the web, not in YouTube’s mobile app.

Rumors have circulated for some time that Google was considering paid channels on YouTube; the stray code in the app update all but confirms that rumor.

In January, AdAge reported that Google had reached out to a small number of channel producers, asking them to submit applications and create channels that users would have to pay to access, in most cases to the tune of $1 to $5 per month.

In response to the AdAge story in January, a YouTube representative told Mashable, "We have long maintained that different content requires different types of payment models. The important thing is that, regardless of the model, our creators succeed on the platform. There are a lot of our content creators that think they would benefit from subscriptions, so we’re looking at that."

The company has previously discussed the possibility of offering pay-to-view channels as a way for television networks to continue to broadcast shows that might not be bringing in enough cash to exist on cable networks but have a passionate and dedicated audience.