Tired of ads on YouTube? Here is how to get rid of ads on YouTube Videos.
Tired of ads on YouTube? My father-in-law called me a few months ago asking how can he get rid of the ads on YouTube. “Buy a subscription!” I had previously talked about YouTube Red subscription – but this program has since changed. YouTube Red is not YouTube Premium.
The Argument for Ads on YouTube Videos
I hear it often. “Why are there ads on YouTube?”
The Cost of Free
While when the internet first started, everything was free… or so I hear people say. There is an old quote “There is no such thing as a free lunch.”

Nothing is free. Even when you think its free (many times the cost is your data or privacy), there is a way someone is making money and while I know that jades a lot of people – it’s just how the world is run, its a business.
While I understand the frustration of having to watch an ad before a YouTube video or on a website – it’s how myself and millions of others create an income. There is a cost to host a website and blog. The hours, talent, equipment put into creating videos cost money. There is a cost to Google to run YouTube’s servers. So that is why there are ads. This is all a new form of communication, but if you think about this model – there is nothing totally new about it.
Advertising is Not New
Newspapers had ads. Television shows have ads. Hell, even movies that you pay the theatre for have ADS on the pre-roll! I’m not even going to get into the other marketing / advertising aspects in a movie theater (just look at your popcorn container next time you go to a movie!)
Seeing that people hate ads on YouTube videos, YouTube created a subscription service so you can enjoy videos without ads, but it will cost you a few bucks.
YouTube Red is Now YouTube Premium
We originally wrote about YouTube Red in 2016. Since the initial launch, YouTube has rebranded YouTube Red to YouTube Premium.
Here are the details of what the new ad-free program offers.
YouTube Premium Benefits
With YouTube Premium the 3 main benefits are:
Ad-Free and Background Play
You can watch videos uninterrupted by ads, while using other apps, or when the screen is locked.
Downloads
You can save videos for when you can watch them, such as on a plane or while commuting. This YouTube Premium benefit is awesome for parents. Download YouTube videos ahead of time to the iPad to keep your kids entertained on roadtrips, while traveling or out and about.
YouTube Music Premium
With YouTube Music Premium, you can download the new music app and listen without interruptions.
Premium Membership Cost
YouTube Premium is offering a free 3-month trial. After the initial 3 month free trial, YouTube Premium costs $11.99 a month.
Save by purchasing a family plan or student plan.
Learn More About YouTube Premium
If you are still curious about what the YouTube Red program offered, here are the details from September 2016.
YouTube Red Benefits
- Ad-free videos: Watch videos without interruptions (no ads, seriously – parents, this is one of the reasons you will LOVE YouTube Red)
- Save offline: Save videos and songs on your mobile device to watch offline (again, PARENTS!)
- Background play: Keep videos or music playing when using other apps or when your screens off
- Audio mode: Listen to audio only on the YouTube Music app (my teen is obsessed with this app – on-demand music of whatever she wants to listen to)
- Google Play Music subscription: Included at no additional cost (that’s right, Google Play music subscription is included)
- Supporting YouTube Creators – YouTube Creators are paid based on the number of minutes YouTube Red users watch and music videos are paid by views.
Parents and YouTube REd
Here are a few reasons parents will LOVE YouTube Red.
No More Ads
YouTube Kids App – parents, please tell me this is how your kids are watching YouTube. It’s the safest way for kids to watch videos, allows you to put limits and with YouTube Red – there are NO ads. That’s right, zero commercials.
Save Offline
Remember in the what where you read you can save videos offline? Let’s talk about that as a parent. This summer, we went on a road trip – nearly 6,000 miles across the west coast. It was amazing, but we kind of hit a MAJOR snag in the area of data. See, we opened our hotspots to the kids so they could watch videos. The good part, the kids were AWESOME in the car. The bad part? CA-CHING. We spent a few hundred dollars on data overages, it wasn’t pretty and SO wish I had known about YouTube Red then.
With this YouTube membership you can go to a video, select save offline and then watch the video when you are not connected to the internet. So yes, you can tee up several episodes of Wonder Quest and keep your kid happy while you are in the car (don’t miss our road trip games!), running to the doctor, at the grocery store or wherever else to keep your little one busy while there is no internet access. BRILLIANT.
Google Play Music
Google Play Music subscription is also included with your YouTube Red membership. With your Google Play All Access Music subscription, you can enjoy unlimited listening to millions of songs, create custom radio and skip as much as you want. My teen loves this. She is in that “discovering music” phase. You gotta love when your daughter asks you if you’ve ever heard of
How much was YouTube Red?
YouTube Red is $9.99 a month