YouTube Red: How, When, and Why

This morning YouTube revealed a subscription service that'll encompass not only all of the video content they have to offer, but music from Google as well. With YouTube Red, users will pay a monthly fee to be able to view the vast majority of YouTube content without advertisements, and offline, too. This service ties in with Google Play Music – and YouTube Music Key – as they'll soon all be offered under the same umbrella, for the same monthly fee, all at once.

How and When will you be able to participate in YouTube Red?

SEE: YouTube Red: subscription service for ad-free video and music.

You'll be seeing a subscription section on YouTube in the near future – Straight through YouTube.com/Red you'll find a placeholder for the system for now, and a launchpad starting on the 28th of October, 2015. This service will cost you $9.99 a month, and that'll include several things.

YouTube Red benefits:

• Ad-free videos: Watch videos without interruptions

• Save offline: Save videos and songs on your mobile device to watch offline

• Background play: Keep videos or music playing when using other apps or when your screen's off

• Google Play Music subscription: Included at no additional cost

You'll be given access to an "enhanced" version of YouTube. This word "enhanced" encompasses not just the same videos you can see now, but without ads – it also includes YouTube Red Exclusive video content.

One thing you'll have to be aware of is the following clause: "YouTube Red benefits won't work on YouTube videos that you pay to view, such as paid channels, movie rentals, and pay-per-view purchases."

It should be clear that you won't be able to watch movies you didn't purchase through Google Play on YouTube just because you have a YouTube Red subscription. Having a YouTube Red subscription does not, on the other hand, stop you from viewing these videos.

YouTube has some pay-per-view events and paid channels – but if you weren't aware of them before, chances are you won't be missing them any time soon.

Why would I want YouTube Red?

If you're the sort of person who doesn't like to view advertisements but use YouTube multiple times a day, YouTube Red might be a great way to save some time. If you're like me, and use YouTube for your job, viewing tens of videos a day, YouTube Red may end up being a BIG time saver.

If you've already got a Google Play Music subscription (which also happens to cost the same $9.99 USD) or you've just been considering it, YouTube Red might appear as a bright, shining beacon of feature-rich goodness. If you already pay for a Google Play Music subscription, you get a YouTube Red membership for free – one comes with the other and vice-versa.

If you've been on-the-edge with a Google Play Music subscription until now, deciding between this or other, similar services – this is certainly a big incentive. It'll be an even bigger incentive when YouTube stars filing in the exclusive content in the near future.

Do you use YouTube to play odd songs you aren't able to find elsewhere? With this service (just as it was with YouTube Music Key), you can play videos in the background while other apps are open (on your phone or tablet) or if your display is off.

YouTube Red allows offline viewing of videos. This is very similar to downloading a video, except with this system you'll still be within the YouTube app and the files are saved for a total of 30 days (or less, your choice).

Sound like enough features for you? Let us know!