YouTube Premium In Kenya: What You Should Know About Google Service Charging KSh 500

• Google Inc launched YouTube Music and YouTube Premium in Kenya on Wednesday, December 6, 2023
• The paid membership will see individual Kenyans pay KSh 419 for music and Family Music at KSh 669
• The premium membership comes with features that allow subscribers to watch millions of videos on YouTube without ads, among others

TUKO.co.ke journalist Wycliffe Musalia brings over five years of experience in financial, business, and technology reporting, offering deep insights into Kenyan and global economic trends.

YouTube Music and YouTube Premium are now available in Kenya, giving subscribers an ad-free experience.

Google Inc. announced the launch of its premium services on Wednesday, December 6.

What is YouTube Premium?

According to Google Support, YouTube Music Premium is a paid music membership for YouTube Music users and is available in many countries, with Kenya now included.

This gives Kenyans access to over 100 million official music, videos, remixes, podcasts, and hard-to-find content.

YouTube Music Premium and YouTube Premium members may still see branding or promotions embedded in podcasts by the creator.

If added or turned on by the creator, you may also find promotional links, shelves, and other features in and around content.

How much is YouTube Premium in Kenya?

According to the new packages, android users will pay KSh 419 for personal music and KSh 669 for family music.

Premium bundles for individuals and Premium Family will go for KSh 499 and KSh 949, respectively.

iPhone users will access the service for KSh 658 for individuals, music family (KSh 1,011), Premium Bundles (Ksh 765) and Premium Family (KSh 1,455).

YouTube Premium benefits

With YouTube Premium, you can watch millions of videos on YouTube without ads, download videos and playlists on your mobile device to watch offline, and continue playing videos on your mobile device while using other apps or when your screen is off.

“Music is a powerful force that can unite people beyond their geographical and language barriers; It brings joy and elevates the psyche. We’re excited to bring YouTube Music to Kenya as this reinforces our commitment to provide individuals access to the music they love while exploring other interesting music preferences,” said Addy Awofisayo, Head of Music, Sub-Saharan Africa at YouTube, as quoted by Citizen Digital.

Subscribers will experience the app’s innovative features, such as the Smart Search function that helps users discover songs even with partial lyrics, an Activity Bar for quick navigation to playlists and personalized mixes, and an Explore Tab showcasing the best of new and popular music.

It also contains a YouTube Kids platform, protecting young ones from adult content.

YouTube monetisations

This followed the platform's changes to its YouTube Partner Programme (YPP) to allow creators to net in more cash.

The expanded YPP reduced monetisation eligibility to 500 subscribers from the current 1,000 subscribers.

The giant social media platform said the drive will enable customers access to fan funding and select shopping features.

"We are evolving the YouTube Partner Programme (YPP) to continue making YouTube a rewarding place for creators," said YouTube.