Google Store adds ‘Subscriptions’ page to advertise paid YouTube services, Stadia Pro, more

The majority of Google’s apps are free (and more than usable with ads), but the company has built up a number of paid service tiers — led by YouTube — in recent years. The Google Store is now prominently advertising those offerings with a dedicated “Subscriptions” landing page.

Joining the Pixel, Nest, Stadia, and Pixelbook product lines at the top of the Google Store today is a “Subscriptions” page. (This addition interestingly comes at the expense of Accessories.) The offerings are broken down into four categories:

• Shows & Music: YouTube TV, YouTube Premium, YouTube Music Premium, 
• Gaming: Stadia Pro, Google Play Pass
• Storage & Security: Google One, Nest Aware
• Phone Plan: Google Fi

When people think of Google subscriptions, YouTube is likely what comes immediately to mind. As of Q3 2020, YouTube TV has 3 million customers in the US, while Premium/Music Premium is at 30 million. Meanwhile, Google is working to grow Stadia Pro, while Play Pass is another effort that offers Android games without ads and unlocks all in-app purchases. 

Google One, which will become more important as Google Photos loses free unlimited storage in 2021, is next. Meanwhile, Nest Aware was revamped in May with restructured pricing plans that are no longer per-device. Rounding out the list is interestingly the Google Fi MVNO, which is linked to on configuration page of all phones.

In adding to the Google Store, the company is arguing that its hardware works best with the paid offerings. For example, the various service descriptions name “Nest displays, Chromecasts, and Pixels” directly.

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