YouTube is going to put more ads between music videos

YouTube will place more ads between music videos, in order to convince users to take a paid subscription in the future. That subscription is not yet available, but YouTube parent company Google is testing it internally.

The subscription will not only be ad-free, but will also have curated playlists and also contain videos that are not available to regular users, for example with material from artists behind the scenes. By frustrating users with ads on the one hand and enticing users with those extra features and videos on the other, YouTube wants to convince many people, YouTube CEO Lyor Cohen told Bloomberg.

With the service, YouTube wants to reach people who are now creating playlists of videos and playing them in the background as music. The service also competes with Spotify, Deezer and Apple Music. The big difference is that YouTube also shows music videos in addition to audio.

YouTube already has YouTube Music in some countries. It also already offers a subscription in the form of Red and a live TV service, but both are primarily focused on video and not music. Google has long had a streaming service in the form of Play Music. At the end of last year there was already a rumor about YouTube Remix. Cohen has not said when the new streaming service will be available.

Update, ThursdayGoogle says that only people who use YouTube as a music service and play music videos in a row all the time will see more ads. In addition, the search giant notes that YouTube already has a music subscription with Music. This article has been adapted accordingly.