YouTube has revealed new details about its plans to launch a subscription service that will offer viewers the opportunity to pay a monthly fee to remove adverts from the site.
In an email to channel owners - YouTube content creators have been told that the site is excited to offer fans "an ads-free version of YouTube for a monthly fee."
On the updated terms on the site, creators have been warned that if they opt out of the new scheme they will be forced to set all of their videos to private:
"If you choose not to participate in our new paid offerings, you can change your video settings to private to keep videos hosted on YouTube. Though you can always choose whether to host any or all of your videos on YouTube, we strongly believe that any fan who’s willing to pay for a feature like an ads-free experience on YouTube deserves to access the exact same content that exists on the ad-supported site."
The Verge contacted YouTube for a comment on the policy - a spokesperson replied: "While we can't comment on ongoing discussions, giving fans more choice to enjoy the content they love and creators more opportunity to earn revenue are always amongst our top priorities."
Plans to introduce a subscription service are tied in with the launch of the YouTube Music Key - a music streaming service that intends to rival companies like Spotify, Tidal and Deezer.
The updated FAQ page for YouTube channel owners says that the new service will add to the revenues of YouTube creators who are currently making money from posting videos:
"By creating new paid offerings, we’re taking another big step in favour of choice and we’ll generate a new source of revenue that will supplement your growing advertising revenue."
YouTube confirms that the paid-for version is coming in 2015 - a launch date has not been announced, but creators have been told that policy changes will come into effect on June 15th.
It is unclear how much the new service will cost - it's expected to be close to €10, but cheaper options may also be available.
There is big money to be made in posting YouTube videos - Newstalk profiled some of Ireland's biggest viral earners.
