Latest news with #YouTubePremium
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
IShowSpeed gets training offer from Usain Bolt, plans private coaching session
IShowSpeed was left in shock after Olympic sprinting legend Usain Bolt offered to privately train the popular YouTuber and streamer. During a livestream on May 30, 2025, while traveling through Europe for the Champions League, Speed revealed a direct message from Bolt offering coaching. The eight-time Olympic gold medalist told Speed via Instagram, 'I'm retired now, so I'm not running, but I can coach you to go faster. You're already fast, but everybody wants to be faster, right?' Speed, visibly excited, responded with a voice message, 'Alright, bet, let's lock that training session in. Usain Bolt, I love you.' IShowSpeed, known for high-energy content and athletic stunts, has challenged top-tier athletes before. In the past, he raced Olympic sprinter Noah Lyles in a $100,000 footrace and engaged in banter with NFL star Tyreek Hill and footballer Alphonso Davies. Although he lost the Lyles race, Speed's confidence hasn't wavered. Speed has also rubbed shoulders with sports icons including Kevin Durant, Tom Brady, and Sunisa Lee, even appearing alongside them in brand campaigns. His recent announcement of a new YouTube Premium series titled Speed Goes Pro will showcase him competing with elite athletes, making Bolt's offer a timely boost to his training journey. The viral moment adds to Speed's growing list of celebrity interactions and cements his position as one of the most athletic and talked-about creators in digital media.
Broadcast Pro
23-05-2025
- Business
- Broadcast Pro
MENA streaming market set to hit $1.5bn by 2025: Omdia
The leading streaming service is local player Shahid on 4.4m subscribers, followed by YouTube Premium, Netflix and StarzPlay. The streaming video market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is on track to reach $1.5bn by the end of 2025, with subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) subscriptions projected to surpass 27m. The forecast was revealed by Maria Rua Aguete, Head of Media and Entertainment at Omdia, during her keynote at the Comcast Technology Summit in Dubai. Omdia's latest data shows that both regional and international platforms continue to dominate the SVOD landscape in the region. As of December 2024, the top performers include Shahid with 4.4m subscribers, YouTube Premium with 3.7m, Netflix with 3m and StarzPlay with 2.3m. Platforms like Shahid, Netflix and StarzPlay have secured their leading positions through strong local content strategies and high user engagement. However, YouTube Premium's inclusion reveals a shifting consumer trend, as it now outpaces Netflix in subscriber numbers, reflecting growing demand for flexible, multi-format, ad-free viewing experiences. 'YouTube Premium's momentum in MENA reflects the region's appetite for seamless, ad-free streaming across platforms,' Rua Aguete noted. 'With over 80m users in MENA and 3.7m YouTube Premium video subscribers, the platform is now one of the most significant players in the region's digital media ecosystem. Saudi Arabia has emerged as one of YouTube Premium's top 10 global markets.' In 2024, StarzPlay implemented a strategic shift by streamlining its service tiers – merging standalone sports with entertainment into a single 'Max' bundle. This restructuring resulted in a 30% increase in average revenue per user (ARPU), while maintaining subscriber retention and limiting churn. 'StarzPlay's emphasis on simplification and value-added bundling is driving measurable financial outcomes,' said Rua Aguete. 'It's a strong example of monetization through intelligent product strategy.' Omdia projects that the online video market in MENA will grow more than fivefold, reaching $8.4bn by 2029. Key growth drivers include expanding digital infrastructure, high mobile penetration, and a young, highly engaged population. 'MENA is undergoing a structural shift in digital video consumption,' concluded Rua Aguete. 'The next five years represent a critical opportunity for platforms, investors, and content creators to scale and innovate.'
Engadget
23-05-2025
- Business
- Engadget
The Morning After: Google I/O's biggest announcements want to keep you Googling
Google I/O 2025 happened earlier this week, and while there was no new hardware to speak of, the company barraged developers with new AI announcements, search features and bafflingly pricy subscriptions. First up is the new AI Mode chatbot in search. AI Mode handles more complex queries than traditional search, somewhere between striking up a chat with Gemini and barreling into a traditional Google search. You could, for example, compare multiple cars you're considering buying or parse travel options for your next big vacation. AI Mode can simulate how you might look in a new piece of clothing (you have to upload a photo of yourself first to do so), and Google can even track pricing in your size and preferred color. AI Mode augments Google's AI Overviews, powered by Gemini. You've probably seen them summarizing your search requests (and often getting things wrong, in my experience). When the Overviews do get things right, it means you never have to leave Google Search, which is great for Google but not for the places where Google got the answer. In fact, the News/Media Alliance says AI Mode is theft. President and CEO Danielle Coffey said, 'Google just takes content by force and uses it with no return, the definition of theft.' The most interesting announcement for me was Google's latest upgrades to video generation and AI video creation tools. It unveiled Veo 3, the first iteration of Google's AI video generator that can make videos with sound slightly more realistic (less unhinged video). It's joined by a new filmmaking app called Flow, which is based on the experimental VideoFX feature Google's been working on for a few years. With Flow, you can edit and extend existing shots, add and choose camera movement and perspective controls and even fold AI video content generated with Veo into projects. But it still looks kinda weird. — Mat Smith Get Engadget's newsletter delivered direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here! In years past, we've seen solid Memorial Day sales on many of our favorite tablets, headphones, charging accessories, robot vacuums and more. That's on top of all the seasonal items that usually get discounted at this time, like smart grills, pizza ovens and outdoor tech. If you're tempted but not entirely sold, here's your reminder that Amazon Prime Day typically happens in July. Maybe you can wait. Continue reading. Maybe you want access to the most impressive AI features Google revealed this week. Maybe you want to play around with Flow. Well, you need either AI Pro ($20 a month) or the insane $250 sub to AI Ultra for some of the most intriguing, creativity-threatening features. Don't worry, though! AI Ultra has an introductory offer of $125 for the first three months! What. A. Deal. Google is trying to justify its pricing by including YouTube Premium and 30TB of cloud storage. But YouTube Premium is $14 per month — what about the other $200-plus? Continue reading. OpenAI is buying Jony Ive's startup, io, for $6.5 billion. And to celebrate, it took a black and white photo on an iPhone. Ive and his design studio, LoveForm, will continue to work independently of OpenAI. However, the other cofounders will become OpenAI employees alongside about 50 other engineers, designers and researchers. Does this mean physical OpenAI devices on the horizon? Apparently, it won't be a phone or a wearable. Continue reading. The latest trend-baiting camera from Fujifilm is, well, adorable. The X Half is an 18-megapixel digital compact camera, but it uses half of a 1-inch sensor to shoot 3:4 vertical photos. The name comes from half-frame cameras that use a 35mm film frame sawed in half, which were popular in the '60s, like the famous Olympus Pen F. It was great for '60s photographers, who could double-up the shots on a single roll of film — but that's not really an issue in the digital era. The X Half has the same 3:4 vertical ratio as Fuji's Instax Mini instant cameras, so you can make prints using an Instax Mini printer. Fujifilm had a viral hit with the X100 VI, so the even more unique (and tiny!) X Half could appeal to a similar group of shooters. It's now on pre-order for $850 (in black, charcoal silver and silver) with shipping set to start on June 12. Continue reading. Netflix will roll out AI-generated ads in 2026, which will play in the middle of a show or whenever users hit pause in its ad-supported plans. Netflix has been steadily increasing subscription costs for its ad-free plans, so maybe 2026 will offer a final push to the pricier subscriptions. Continue reading.
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Google may launch YouTube Premium sans music amid antitrust probe
HighlightsGoogle is considering launching a cheaper version of YouTube Premium in South Korea, excluding the YouTube Music streaming component, to address anti-competitive concerns raised by the Fair Trade Commission. The Fair Trade Commission of South Korea has been investigating Google for allegedly bundling YouTube Music with YouTube Premium, which they claim restricts consumer choice and abuses market dominance. In the United States, YouTube has recently expanded its Premium Lite plan, which costs $7.99 per month, as part of efforts to provide more affordable options for users. Google may launch a cheaper version of YouTube Premium without its music streaming component in South Korea in a move aimed at addressing concerns over alleged anti-competitive practices, the country's antitrust watchdog said on Thursday. The self-proposed measure is part of negotiations between the U.S. tech giant and the Fair Trade Commission (FTC), which has been investigating Google over suspicions that it violated fair trade rules by bundling YouTube Music to its premium subscription service. In July last year, the FTC issued a report equivalent to a formal prosecution complaint, accusing Google Korea of unfairly bundling YouTube Music with YouTube Premium, thereby restricting consumer choice and abusing its market dominance, reports Yonhap news agency. The regulator claims Google's practice effectively forced consumers to subscribe to both services, limiting options for those who may have only wanted access to ad-free video streaming. Rather than pursuing a prolonged legal battle, Google has submitted a corrective action plan under the FTC's procedure known as a "consent decision." The mechanism allows the FTC to suspend its investigation if the company voluntarily proposes measures that address the alleged consumer harm. "The FTC will review the validity and appropriateness of Google's proposed corrective actions and will draw up a final consent decision plan," the FTC said Thursday, without disclosing when a final decision would be made. In South Korea, YouTube Premium currently costs 14,900 won (US$10.79) per month, while YouTube Music is offered separately for 11,990 won ($8.38) per month. In the United States, YouTube recently announced it is expanding its Premium Lite pilot program to local users. The Premium Lite plan costs $7.99 per month, significantly lower than the full YouTube Premium subscription at $13.99. In July last year, the US tech giant was accused of providing the YouTube Music streaming service to users of the ad-free YouTube premium program without additional charges in violation of the fair transaction law, and the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has carried out an on-site probe since February last year. Officials have said the probe was focused on whether Google has abused its market dominance for implementing such a practice and that it has restricted fair competition in the industry.
Hans India
22-05-2025
- Business
- Hans India
South Korea: Google may launch YouTube Premium sans music amid antitrust probe
Google may launch a cheaper version of YouTube Premium without its music streaming component in South Korea in a move aimed at addressing concerns over alleged anti-competitive practices, the country's antitrust watchdog said on Thursday. The self-proposed measure is part of negotiations between the U.S. tech giant and the Fair Trade Commission (FTC), which has been investigating Google over suspicions that it violated fair trade rules by bundling YouTube Music to its premium subscription service. In July last year, the FTC issued a report equivalent to a formal prosecution complaint, accusing Google Korea of unfairly bundling YouTube Music with YouTube Premium, thereby restricting consumer choice and abusing its market dominance, reports Yonhap news agency. The regulator claims Google's practice effectively forced consumers to subscribe to both services, limiting options for those who may have only wanted access to ad-free video streaming. Rather than pursuing a prolonged legal battle, Google has submitted a corrective action plan under the FTC's procedure known as a "consent decision." The mechanism allows the FTC to suspend its investigation if the company voluntarily proposes measures that address the alleged consumer harm. "The FTC will review the validity and appropriateness of Google's proposed corrective actions and will draw up a final consent decision plan," the FTC said Thursday, without disclosing when a final decision would be made. In South Korea, YouTube Premium currently costs 14,900 won (US$10.79) per month, while YouTube Music is offered separately for 11,990 won ($8.38) per month. In the United States, YouTube recently announced it is expanding its Premium Lite pilot program to local users. The Premium Lite plan costs $7.99 per month, significantly lower than the full YouTube Premium subscription at $13.99. In July last year, the US tech giant was accused of providing the YouTube Music streaming service to users of the ad-free YouTube premium program without additional charges in violation of the fair transaction law, and the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has carried out an on-site probe since February last year. Officials have said the probe was focused on whether Google has abused its market dominance for implementing such a practice and that it has restricted fair competition in the industry.
