Google's paid YouTube subscription service has reached a new milestone. Today, the company revealed that the total number of YouTube Music and YouTube Premium subscriptions in 100 countries and regions around the world has exceeded the 100 million mark. However, this number includes those who signed up for free trials of these services, and the announcement did not detail the number of registered users for each service.
YouTube Music chief Lyor Cohen added in a separate blog post that the music and premium services had grown by 20 million users in the past year alone. He added:
In 2015, many doubted whether the subscription model could thrive on YouTube. They said the market was too crowded and our platform was too different. Now that we have reached 100 million subscribers, our difference is what drives our success and why I still see so much room for growth:
YouTube Music currently costs $10.99 per month, with a 30-day free trial. It offers ad-free access to 100 million songs, as well as background playback and music videos. YouTube Premium costs $13.99 per month and also offers a 30-day free trial. It includes all the features of YouTubeMusic, plus ad-free viewing of any YouTube video, movie, and TV show. It also supports downloading videos for offline use, as well as playing video background sounds while using other mobile apps.
Both services have added some improved features for users in the last year. Now, YouTube Premium members on desktops and laptops can access 1080p Premium definition videos, which can be displayed at a higher bitrate than regular 1080p videos.
YouTube Music subscribers can also check out a recently added experimental feature that uses a generative artificial intelligence model to create custom artwork for their playlists.