As we have seen this morning with the news of the BlackBerry PRIV, rumors and speculation do not maintain for too long. Eventually, details come out and it becomes hard for the respective companies to deny them. That said, one rumor which has specifically endured the entirety of 2015 so far, is regarding YouTube and their subscription services. At first the rumors began as YouTube were preparing for a subscription service of some sort. However, since then, the rumors have grown in speculation with some suggesting YouTube is finding difficulty in securing content and some suggesting there will actually be two subscriptions coming, one in the form of the full release of the already in beta YouTube Music Key and the other to do with ad-free YouTube video viewing. In fact, pretty much this time last month came the latest reports detailing that the service(s) were close to launching.
Well, as it that time again, the newest on the YouTube subscription service(s) comes from a report out of Re/Code today, that if correct, clears up much of the speculation. According to the report, YouTube will be launching two services, although they will be combined under one subscription charge. The two services are going to be YouTube Music Key and the ad-free video streaming service and the charge being suggested is $10 per month. Adding to this, the report details that “industry sources” are stating they have “been told to expect” the launch of the dual-services to begin before the end of October.
What is fueling this latest end of October time-frame is an email which is reportedly been sent out to YouTube content owners yesterday. The focal point of the email is that the content owners need to agree to the terms and conditions of the service before October 22nd or face their videos no longer being “available for public display or monetization in the United States.” As such, if the email is correct, it does seem likely that if not by the end of October, then shortly afterwards, the service seems scheduled for a release. Either way, with October fast approaching, there is not long to wait to find out.