YouTube: 4K possible again without subscription

Google has given in to public pressure and ended a test to move 4K resolution to the premium area. 4K will still be open to the general public – even without a paid premium account.

Payment barrier for 4K content tested

Two weeks ago, early adopters noticed that YouTube was testing a paywall for 4K videos. In lower resolution, videos were still publicly available; however, those who wanted to upgrade to 4K were asked to sign up for a paid subscription. As a result, criticism of Google was voiced on many online platforms. The fact that YouTube had already undergone numerous other commercialization changes in recent times may have contributed to the displeasure. For example, Google has decided that advertising will now also be played before videos published on channels that do not participate in YouTube’s advertising program. In concrete terms, this means that users who upload videos and do not sign an advertising contract will nevertheless have to reckon with advertising before, in and after their videos in future, without receiving a share of the proceeds. For everyone else, it primarily means that the advertising share on YouTube will increase noticeably.

Test discontinued

Now YouTube has announced via Twitter that the test run has been completely discontinued. Users should now, the tweet goes on to say, be able to access 4K content across the board without a premium account. YouTube has not yet commented on the reasons for the discontinuation of the test run.