YouTube Premium, having failed to deliver on its promise of original content, now justifies its price hike by positioning itself as a luxury « ad-blocker » for podcasts. The new features, presented as listening enhancements, primarily reveal an aggressive user retention strategy. Far from its initial ambitions to compete with streaming platforms through original content, YouTube Premium has undergone a significant transformation. Launched in 2018 at $9.99/month, the subscription—which at the time promised exclusive productions—has…
