I was happily a subscriber, but like most things Google does, they decided to switch things up for the sake of different. What I don't like about paying $18/mo for Youtube (family) is that they are still collecting truckloads of data about me and using it to target MORE advertisements.

If I pay for a service, it my expectation that you provide me a way to opt out of your additional revenue opportunities. To that end, $18/mo for premium is gouging, in my mind. The fact that Youtube is implementing even more ads tells me the service is bleeding customers or cash, maybe both, and Google is handling this by making the barriers HIGHER.

Google has their hooks deep enough into most people - charge $3.99/mo for an ad-free experience and grow the subscriber base.

From their POV it's perfectly reasonable - by paying, you showed you have the money thus you're very worthy target for more ads and tracking!

I see people loudly complaining about it. I don’t watch YouTube. I went from a paying customer to ditching it entirely. But clearly everyone complaining love YouTube and are watching hours and hours of video. So why not pay for it? It’s more sustainable in the long run.

Damn, that's a strawman I haven't seen before. How about we discuss it when it happens, not before?

so unsubscribe then you are paying subscription month to month its not a one time fee.