YouTube now tests paywall to enjoy 4K videos

Some users have started flooding Reddit and Twitter with reports of seeing the high 4K resolution locked in YouTube videos, with Google asking them to subscribe to the YouTube Premium package if they want to unlock it.

The company has not officially commented on the reports, nor has it responded to questions from reporters, but it appears that it is conducting tests to gauge the pulse of users and will then decide how to proceed. It is a fact, however, that Google is constantly looking for ways to increase the profitability of YouTube, which is used every day by billions of people around the world.

Recently tests were done to show up to 11 non-skippable ads in a row, both at the beginning of videos and in between. The truth is that they didn't continue and that's why we treat it as another test of the company.

It is not excluded, however, that in the coming months there will be some extra measures for the free use of the YouTube service. YouTube Premium subscribers may have crossed 50 million worldwide, but the number is a far cry from the actual number of users, and obviously the room for profit growth is huge.