YouTube on Wednesday announced a new paid subscription service that would eliminate advertisements as the video service behemoth looks to better tap its vast commercial potential. YouTube, which is owned by search engine giant Google and claims more than one billion users world-wide, also announced an expanded music platform and original movies in a bid to encourage subscribers.
The new service, called YouTube Red, will offer commercial-free access for $9.99 a month starting on October 28. It will be available initially in the United States, with plans to roll it out world-wide in 2016.
YouTube Red will also let subscribers save videos to watch later on their computers or smartphones, even when they lack Internet connections.
The traditional YouTube site backed by commercials will remain available and free.
"YouTube Red marks an evolution in our desire to give fans more choice and features that they love and a much greater experience they've been asking for," Robert Kyncl, YouTube's chief business officer, told a launch event in Los Angeles broadcast to New York and San Francisco offices.
Originally created by three young entrepreneurs as a way to swap videos, YouTube was bought by Google for $1.65 billion in 2006 and is now the world's third most visited website after Google itself and Facebook.
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