I recently caved and subscribed to YouTube Premium, and I don’t hate it

Subscribing to YouTube Premium? Past me would be disappointed. Even current me is a little miffed.

I recently caved and subscribed to YouTube Premium, and I don’t hate it
YouTube premium app on smartphone stock photo (2)
Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

I’ve long resisted paying for YouTube Premium, opting for ad blockers on PC and third-party apps on other platforms instead. If I had to point to one specific reason, it’s probably due to the simple fact that I hate subscriptions in general, especially if you’re only really paying to remove ads.

I also remember the early days of YouTube before it implemented ads and when its initial ads were just pop-ups at the bottom of a video. I was fine with these pop-ups in comparison to the copious pre-roll and mid-roll video ads seen nowadays. A few months ago, however, I caved and decided to buy YouTube Premium. So what changed?