YouTube has brought to an end a limited test that locked 4K videos behind its Premium subscription, according to one of its official Twitter accounts (via 9to5Google).
YouTube has supported 4K videos since 2010, and they have since been freely available to be viewed by anyone. At least, that was until earlier this month, when some users reported seeing a "Premium" label against 2160p/4K content, indicating only paying YouTube subscribers were able to view 4K content on the platform.
Currently, a standard YouTube Premium plan costs $11.99 in the United States and includes ad-free videos, background playback, and the ability to download videos for offline viewing. YouTube's experiment suggested it was actively considering 4K viewing as an added perk.
we've fully turned off this experiment. viewers should now be able to access 4K quality resolutions without Premium membership. we're here if you have other q's — TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) October 17, 2022
According to multiple tweets from the official TeamYouTube Twitter account, that experiment has now come to an end. YouTube representatives gave no reason for the change, but it's possible the negative online backlash to the test hastened its discontinuation.
