YouTube Premium now costs an extra $2 each month

YouTube Premium’s price has increased to $13.99 a month in the US, a $2 increase compared to what it used to cost. That’s according to Google’s signup page for the service, which has been quietly updated to reflect the new pricing, as was first spotted by 9to5Google. Alongside the monthly price increase, the cost of an annual subscription to YouTube Premium is increasing by $20 to $139.99.

Google confirmed the price increase in a statement given to The Verge. “We’re updating the price for YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium subscribers in the US to continue delivering great service and features,” YouTube spokesperson Jessica Gibby said in a statement. “We believe this new price reflects the value of YouTube Premium which allows subscribers to enjoy ad-free YouTube with background and offline play and uninterrupted access to over 100M songs with the YouTube Music app.”

The new pricing shown on YouTube’s website. Screenshot by Jon Porter / The Verge

Gibby confirmed that most existing YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium subscribers will see their prices increase from the next billing cycle, and that they can expect to receive confirmation of the change via email. News of the price increase for individual subscribers follows a similar price increase for those on YouTube Premium’s family plan last October.

The price increase will also apply to legacy $9.99 YouTube Red subscribers. When Google last raised the price of ad-free YouTube as part of its rebrand from “YouTube Red” into “YouTube Premium” in 2018 it allowed former YouTube Red subscribers to continue to pay the old monthly price. Such subscribers will receive an additional three months at their current rate before the price increase applies, Gibby told The Verge.

It doesn’t sound like there are any immediate plans to increase prices by the same amount in other countries, but Google isn’t ruling it out. “We re-evaluate our pricing on an ongoing basis as conditions change in countries around the world,” YouTube’s Gibby said in a statement. “Any future price increases will be communicated first and foremost directly to existing members, providing a minimum of 30 days before any price increases take effect.”

YouTube Premium offers a collection of functionality improvements for the video streaming platform. Subscribers get to watch YouTube videos with no ads and download them to watch without an internet connection. There’s also support for background playback, letting subscribers listen to a video’s audio while using other apps or while their phone screen is off. More recently, Google updated YouTube Premium with a higher-quality 1080p steaming option on select platforms. And importantly, subscribing puts an end to Google’s incessant nagging.

Update July 20th, 10:26AM ET: Updated with statement from Google.

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