#57 What is Google’s New and Upcoming Service Called “YouTube Red”?

Do you remember YouTube’s very own music-focused, subscription based service called Music Key that was launched about a year ago? Well, it didn’t perform well against the competitors like Spotify, Apple Music or Rdio. However, the company is aiming to rejuvenate things by rebranding it.

Interestingly, Google has recently updated its YouTube app that includes a text describing a product called YouTube Red. It’s a service that enables background and ad-free music playback, a feature that was absent in the Music Key subscription service.

This was spotted by Android Police, writes that the rebranding is shown as a notification only when you are leaving a video playing in the background and you switch to another app. This is also shown as a pop-up when you re-open YouTube later.

Take a look it in the screenshots below. To see these changes, you must be having the latest version the Android app on your device.

It should be noted that Music Key still has the “beta” tag associated with it and Google could be planning to relaunch the service as YouTube Red. It’s possible that Google aims to do a lot more that music with YouTube Red and this possible rebranding is just the first step.

The next week, on September 29, Google is holding an event and it’s expected to launch heavy weight products like new Nexus phone as well as Android Marshmallow. We can also witness the launch of the much-awaited YouTube ad-free subscription service and new Chromecast.

It’s expected that YouTube Red will be playing a bigger role in the upcoming Google Movie.

What do think about this rebranding? Did you like the name YouTube Red? Tell us in the comments below.

#10 YouTube to release a new app for kids under 10 years

YouTube's new app for children, will feature episodes of popular kids television shows and G content from kid-safe channels

Google is planning to launch a new YouTube app specially designed for children under 10 years of age. YouTube Kids will feature a kid-friendly design, with big icons and minimal scrolling as well as features for parents to limit kids viewing time, according to reports. 

The YouTube Kids' app will be free and run on smartphones and tablets. It will feature original episodes of popular television shows for preschoolers, including “Sesame Street,” and “Thomas the Tank Engine”. The app will also have content from the many kid-safe channels like the Mother Goose Club and Reading Rainbow which is already featured on YouTube, stated a person close to the device. YouTube Kids will come with parental controls like a timer, so they can limit the kids' video viewing time.

It is not yet clear how YouTube will make money for the app. The WSJ says that currently the company is in discussions whether the app will feature ads. The YouTube Kids' app will be announced by executive Malik Ducard at the Kidscreen Summit on 23rd Feb, a conference for the children’s entertainment industry. 

YouTube product manager Shimrit Ben-Yair stated that the age-appropriate app is a much requested feature. "Parents were constantly asking us, can you make YouTube a better place for our kids." He added that family-friendly channels are a thriving business on YouTube. "(Year over year) we've seen 50% growth in viewing time on YouTube, but for our family entertainment channels, it's more like 200%."

Last month, Twitter, video service released the Vine Kids' iOS app for children below 5 years. The app shows G-rated 6-second videos that have been pre-screened for being appropriate for children. Children can easily view new videos by swiping left or right on the app.