this post was submitted on 24 Sep 2024
642 points (99.1% liked)

Technology

59384 readers
3768 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related content.
  3. Be excellent to each another!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed

Approved Bots


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

YouTube Premium users across the globe are facing significant price hikes as Google increases subscription costs in over a dozen countries. This follows earlier price jumps in various regions, including the United States last summer. The latest increases vary by region, with some countries experiencing hikes between 30% to 50%. For instance, in Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Italy, the Family plan will rise from €18 to €26 starting November, while the individual plan will increase by €2 to €14.

Countries affected by these changes include Ireland, Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, UAE, Switzerland, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Colombia, Thailand, Singapore, Norway, Sweden, Czech Republic, and Denmark. Although most Reddit reports are from European users, the price hikes also impact the Middle East, Colombia, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia. YouTube had already raised its subscription prices in India by 15–20% in late August.

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] elliot_crane 142 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (10 children)

It is morally correct to adblock youtube.

E: I can’t hear any of these counterpoints over the sweet ad-free youtube I’m getting for free.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago (5 children)
[–] Usernameblankface 21 points 1 month ago (15 children)

Not watching has a much better moral argument.

load more comments (15 replies)
load more comments (4 replies)
load more comments (9 replies)
[–] [email protected] 101 points 1 month ago (19 children)

just cancel all subscriptions. None of them are worth it

[–] [email protected] 39 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (24 children)

Bitwarden is worth it. (Yes, I know, I should self host it. I do, but I still see it as a good deal.) Also Hetzner is a good subscription. So yes, some are worth it

load more comments (24 replies)
load more comments (18 replies)
[–] [email protected] 72 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (8 children)
  • Firefox + uBO
  • NewPipe/LibrePipe/GrayJay
  • FreeTube

They all are free, no subscription required

And sorry Apple users, I don't know what option you have cuz I don't use Apple.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago (5 children)

Freetube doesn't seem to work anymore (for me at least) as Google went hard on blocking all invidious instances and proxies...

[–] _Sprite 28 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

Change your API backend to LocalAPI in the settings. It still works that way on Freetube and Libretube

load more comments (3 replies)
load more comments (4 replies)
load more comments (7 replies)
[–] [email protected] 48 points 1 month ago (10 children)

Remember: Everything premium offers used to be included for free

load more comments (10 replies)
[–] NOT_RICK 47 points 1 month ago

Funny, I still pay them my same flat fee of nada

[–] [email protected] 46 points 1 month ago (3 children)

lol and they'll raise prices again next year. and people will complain for a minute, then renew their sub

when is this going to stop being news?

[–] shalafi 10 points 1 month ago (2 children)

This is simply Business 101. Once you have a customer base you want to trade low-payers for high.

Did this with my computer business years ago. Woke up one day and said, "Why am I sweating these cheapskates that constantly bitch?" Fired them and kept the higher-paying, and less bitchy, clients. I was making more money for less effort and less overhead.

I don't know what amazes me more, that people keep paying when they know the price will keep going up, or that people bitch and moan. Last I checked, YouTube access isn't a human right. I'll keep using it until these is no way around their ads, but I'm not paying them a dime.

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 40 points 1 month ago (6 children)

I can't wait for google to crash and burn. Bring back GeoCities and Netscape navigator.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 month ago (8 children)

Like Reddit dying after the API incident?

Just like Reddit, Google are going nowhere; sadly.

load more comments (8 replies)
load more comments (5 replies)
[–] OldQWERTYbastard 36 points 1 month ago (12 children)

Use NewPipe if you're on Android.

You're welcome.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago

Firefox + uBlock Origin already does it too. No ads, and I can listen even when my phone is locked.

load more comments (11 replies)
[–] amorpheus 35 points 1 month ago (2 children)

The nice thing about hiking your prices by 50% is that unless a whole third of your users quit, you haven't lost anything.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 month ago (1 children)

you haven't lost anything

Apart from all future customers that will now choose another service

[–] [email protected] 40 points 1 month ago

That's the good thing about a monopoly. You don't have to worry about customers choosing another service.

[–] CosmoNova 10 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

You don't lose anything for the moment, but it might come back to bite you later regardless. Because Youtube needs to grow until the end of times but can't, it will end ugly one way or another. It's more of a symptom of a bigger problem than an isolated, 'smart' business decision.

[–] Usernameblankface 31 points 1 month ago

Unless the backlash is a huge percentage of users immediately stop using the service, they won't care. They already calculated how many users they'd lose and how much more profit they get to bring in off of those who decide to stay.

[–] spicystraw 26 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (10 children)

Been paying for years now, got a 50% price hike. Canceled on the spot. I like the creators I follow, but recommendations have sucked for me for several months now anyway.

Any advice for streaming ad free on Chromecast or Samsung tv?

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 month ago

smarttube on tv

load more comments (9 replies)
[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Yeah they are continuously slowing down Firefox and I see a future where I will simply stop using YouTube.i thank them in advance for when that day comes

[–] eronth 11 points 1 month ago (2 children)

More and more I try to find my entertainment elsewhere. I am slowly, but surely, migrating away from youtube (and google in general).

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 month ago

Can't wait to see this bubble burst.

[–] notsorryforpartying 23 points 1 month ago

I've been paying for YouTube premium and have been watching a ton of YouTube for years. But I've been finding myself watching less and less YouTube lately and this might be the push to finally cancel and back away some from the platform.

[–] CosmoNova 22 points 1 month ago

Youtube doing what I told every Premium adversary they would logically do after dumping more and more ad space onto the site. And to make Premium look worth the price, they'll continue to shove more ads in your face just before, you guessed it, doing another price hike. Rinse and repeat. Premium users are strong drivers of this enshittification so I will continue to call them out on it whenever they tell you to join the scam as well. I'll stick to my ad blockers.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 month ago

The Peertube protocol developers should develop a central hub webpage space for newcomers, allow accounts there to follow all channels in every instance (and to only follow and block specific instances too), and then develop apps for smart tvs. It's the only realistic FOSS alternative to Youtube i can think of, and i dont know why the first point is still non existent (having already subscribed to several channels in 3 instances using separate accounts).

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (7 children)

It's so odd that a platform that relies so much on user content charges as much as or more than network streaming services. The market hold is leaking into it (and out).

load more comments (7 replies)
[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I just checked and ublock origin is still free. What a relief

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] oakey66 19 points 1 month ago

You gotta make up for a lack of innovation but just price gouging customers on absolutely everything. I only have Spotify because of the radio function but otherwise all of these services are absolute dog shit. They don’t offer anything new. They’ve just created a new set of moats for features, songs, videos, television and games. Eventually this system has to collapse because treating customers like employees that have no choice but to stay will lead people to innovate on piracy.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 month ago

I hadn't realized how high it was until seeing this and canceled mine.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 month ago (2 children)

And this is what happens cause the vast mayority of people don't give a rats ass as long as they can consume

Welcome to the monopoly

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I'm slowly using YouTube less and less. The experience is worse because of the ads and Premium costs.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago (4 children)

People pay YouTube instead of using an adblocker?

[–] underthesign 13 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Please tell me a simple, idiot-proof way to block YT ads on all devices incl. Mobiles, Shield etc. that doesn't require something complex like piHole, works outside the home (family's phones etc. ), and doesn't risk blocking stuff it shouldn't. That's my trouble. Premium solves all of that, while bringing other small benefits. Maybe there's a better way.

[–] mechoman444 12 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Easy peasy. Lemon squeezy.

Firefox-ublock (even better on Linux but not required)

Revanced for mobile.

Pihole doesn't stop youtube ads anyhow.

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (5 children)

I've been paying $25 CAD to support five family accounts and prevent my daughter from seeing ads during her monitored viewing. If that price goes up 30-50%, I'm fucking done. This was an expense I was willing to incur, as YouTube is literally the only media platform my family even uses anymore. Better price than cable and multiple streaming platforms, and (again) I'm paying that for five active accounts.

If anyone knows of a way for me to adblock through my Roku TV so that we can continue watching YouTube on it without a Premium account, I'm all ears. The TV is the only reason I'm not just using uBlock to begin with. I'm really not into the idea of hooking a laptop up via HDMI if I can avoid it. Just feels like a sloppy user experience for anyone else in the household wanting to watch YouTube on TV.

load more comments (5 replies)
[–] Cringe2793 13 points 1 month ago (5 children)

Absurd to pay so much just to remove ads only for smart TVs. There are easy ways to block ads on phones and computers.

load more comments (5 replies)
[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

Woah. I just cancelled my subscription last week because it's too expensive, and now they raise the prices further. Guess they really don't want me back.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago (1 children)
load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments
view more: next ›