Google to Announce Paid Subscriptions to Selected Video Channels

Popular video sharing site, Youtube is planning to introduce new paid subscriptions for select channels. Seams like the video-streaming site is looking to move beyond advertising revenue, by providing more content. According to the Financial Times, as many as 50 specialist video channels on YouTube could be included under the subscription package. Apparently these channels can be accessed for a subscription fee of $1.99 a month (Rs. 107 Approximately). These channels could offer various content such as TV shows and films, adds the report from FT.

YouTube already offers pay-per-view content like movies and television shows. It also announced it's plans of introducing a subscription based music service, earlier this year.. However, the paid channel subscriptions is said to fallow a a la carte format for providing content.

News of YouTube's plans to offer a paid service came earlier this year, as there were reports claiming the video-streaming site had approached several video producers, asking them to create paid channels, which would cost between $1 and $5 a month.

Financial Times reports that YouTube said it had "nothing to announce" regarding channel subscriptions but was "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".

Once the Subscription based YouTube channels go live, will compete with streaming services like Netflix and hulu. There are speculations the new service could be announced as early as this weak.