May 7, 2013 | Online

Would you pay for YouTube?

According to insiders, the free video sharing site YouTube is considering a new business model. The change would include a subscription fee to see specific content.

The plan would also allow content creators to charge for their content. A piece of the fee would, of course, be pocketed by Google (possibly 45 percent). However, most of YouTube's content will remain free. 

YouTube will likely launch 50 channels at a cost of about $1.99 a month. 

A YouTube representative issued a statement that the company has "nothing to announce at this time," but added that it was "looking into creating a subscription platform that could bring even more great content to YouTube for our users to enjoy and provide our partners with another vehicle to generate revenue from their content, beyond the rental and ad-supported models we offer."

"It's a whole new skills set to develop to get people to actually take out a credit card," Robert Kyncl, head of content at YouTube, said at a recent presentation in Playa Vista. "You will see a lot of experimentation with folks with those models. Over time, a lot of people will figure it out, but it will take lots of iteration."

The Financial Post even hinted that the new model may be rolled out in the coming weeks.

YouTube poised to enter subscription business for some content [Los Angeles Time]

Pay to watch YouTube? Subscription model coming soon [The Globe and Mail]