Following rumors going back over 6 months, Google has finally entered the paid video subscription market with a new service called YouTube Red.

The new service is said to deliver users the ability to view videos across all of YouTube without ads, while also allowing videos to be saved to watch offline on a phone or tablet, or even played in the background, along with ad-free viewing.

Hardcore YouTube fans are also catered for with the service providing exclusive access to YouTube Originals, a slate of original programming that will be available only on the paid service; most of this content is being generated by YouTube’s existing stable of talent, including “Scare PewDiePie,” a reality series made by Maker Studios and the producers of “The Walking Dead,” that unfortunately doesn’t involve him being eaten by zombies but will instead show star  Felix Kjellberg encountering “terrifying situations inspired by his favorite video games,” whatever that means.

Despite earlier reports that Google was having problems obtaining content from legacy media companies for the service, users of the service will also have access to programming from big media companies including 21st Century Fox, NBCUniversal, and Time Warner, with those media companies obtaining 55 percent of the revenue from the service.

Given the $9.99/ month price tag seems a little on the high side for the offering so far, there is more: YouTube Red membership includes Google’s recently launched Gaming app and a brand new YouTube Music app.

YouTube Music is said to be designed to make discovering, watching and listening to music easier, with any song or artist chosen in YouTube Music taking a user on “a personal journey through one of the richest music catalogs.”

Because there should be even more, YouTube Red also offers unrestricted access to Google’s Play Music Service (which is similar to Spotify and Apple Music) delivering users essentially three services for the one price.

“People are embracing paid subscriptions for ad-free content at an incredible pace,” YouTube Chief Business Officer Robert Kyncl told the audience at a reveal event at the YouTube Space in Los Angeles.

Value for money

It may be a slight exaggeration, but YouTube Red is a serious shot across the bow for Apple Music and Spotify versus the obvious candidates you’d think of when talking about what primarily upfront is a video service such as Hulu or Netflix.

Yes, YouTube offers some interesting video choices with the package, but the fact it includes YouTube’s Music app, along with Google Play Music is what makes it seriously good value for money.

YouTube Red is set to debut October 28.

Image credit: Google/YouTube Red