YouTube Red (2015, renamed Premium 2018): $12/month ad-free viewing + YouTube Music + offline downloads + exclusive originals. Originals flopped (Cobra Kai moved to Netflix, PewDiePie’s “Scare PewDiePie” canceled). By 2023: 80M+ Premium subscribers (profitable but distant behind Spotify/Netflix). Main value: ad-blocking (which free browser extensions provide). Creators get higher CPM from Premium views.
Sources: YouTube Premium subscriber counts, original series performance, creator revenue data