Google Unveils YouTube Red, a Premium Subscription Based Ad-Free Video Service Rivaling Netflix

oogle has unveiled YouTube Red, a Netflix like premium subscription video channel sans the advertisements. The YouTube Red series has already signed up 10 series and will include a music service. YouTube Red will cost $9.99 per month which incidentally matches up with the Netflix standard two-stream HD. That being said, it will be difficult to convince the users to subscribe for YouTube Red, as the video streaming repository has been known to be a place wherein one can watch free videos in barter for advertisements.

The premium Youtube subscription not only lets users watch the videos without any ads but also lets them save on phones and tablets. The package also includes a freshly incepted version of the YouTube Music which has been integrated with the Google Play Music, thus allowing users to access multiple services with a single subscription.

YouTube has roped in celebrities like PewDie Pie who is known for his quirky gaming commentary and constructed a series around him. The other series includes Sing It, Lazer Team, A Trip to Unicorn Island, Untitles Joey Graceffa project, 360 Projectfrom MatPat of Game Theory and many more. While the series looks pretty interesting, it might not just be convincing enough for enough people to shell out money.

YouTube Red has to limbo through the fact that users come to YouTube for free videos and people’s mind has been trained to do so for almost a decade. Adding to the woes is the freemium content arrangements, none of the content will be exclusive to YouTube Red and can be watched with ads on the usual YouTube. That being said, even if a teeny tiny bit of YouTube’s 1-Billion subscribers sign up for the service, they will reap the rewards. The multiple revenue streams for similar content is great as an idea but it will take some time to evolve as a mainstream option. To start with,YouTube Red will be available in US only.

Update: Google says any content creator who doesn’t want to be part of YouTube Red will have all his videos removed. So there’s no way for any content creator to let go of this subscription model while staying with ad supported free platform.

Google Invests More Than $60M in Mobvoi, Its Android Wear Partner In China

Google’s services are not available in China, but that isn’t stopping it from making a significant investment in a company based on Chinese soil. The U.S. search giant is backing Mobvoi, a three-year-old company specializing in mobile voice technology, to the tune of more than $60 million.

The duo already have business ties. Mobvoi is the company that Google picked to bring Android Wear, its operating system for wearables, to China, so this deal takes things up to the next level.

The size investment, which is a Series C round for Mobvoi, has not been disclosed, but Mobvoi’s Yufan Wang confirmed that Google has become a minority shareholder. The deal, she said, takes the company to $75 million in investment to date. Since Mobvoi previously raised $10 million Series B and $1.6 million Series A rounds, Google’s investment is just shy of $65 million.

Beyond the Android Wear deal, the two companies have plenty in common. Beijing-based Mobvoi was started by ex-Googlers — CEO Zhifei Li and CTO Mike Lei are both former research scientists with Google U.S. — and Wang said the company’s DNA is heavily influenced by the tech giant.

“We used the Google model from day one,” she told  in an interview. “We wanted to have same culture and team values. The co-operation [on bringing Android Wear to China] went really well… and [Google] showed interest and decided to make an investment.”

On the business and product side, Mobvoi is very Googley, too.

The company is probably best known for Chumenwenwen, a mobile voice search service very much in the style of Siri or Google Now. The service is akin to a virtual butler, allowing users to perform a range of tasks — including search, checking weather, buying items, and more — just using their voice. Wang said the company has struck deals with over 100 content partners to give users access to various services via Chumenwenwen.

Mobvoi used its natural language technology to build out its own smartwatch software, too. Ticwear is a ROM that pairs with Android Wear to make the service — which is kneecapped in China thanks to the government’s blockage of Google services — work in mainland China.

Beyond developing smartwatch software, which works on selected watches like the Moto 360, Mobvoi went a step further and developed its own hardware: the Ticwatch. Wang said the company has sold 30,000 units of the smartwatch, which is priced between $160-$190 in China, but it remains focused on software development.

“Our goal isn’t to be a watch manufacturer, [but] we’re happy to see early adopters buying our product,” she said.

Mobvoice plans to use its new financing to hire talent from across the world and continue refine its software services — Ticwear is updated every two weeks, much like Xiaomi’s approach to its MIUI Android software — while it is also working on its own in-car software and dipping its toes into robotics. Again, that’s much like a Chinafied version of Apple’s CarPlay or Android Auto from Google.

Given the many similarities with Google and reports that the U.S. firm is looking to open up its services in China — and in particular the Google Play Store — is today’s investment a sign that Google has found the company in China to rebuild its business there?

Perhaps there’s even the potential for a full Google buyout in the future?

Not so, according to Wang.

“We value this partnership a lot, and respect Google as an investor, [but it is] still a minority investor and we will focus on what we believe in and in our products,” she told TechCrunch. “We’re not changing what we’ve planned, but there are definitely more opportunities [that will open up].”

Google, for its part, said it has “nothing to announce at this time” when we asked about potential plans to expand the scope of its partnership with Mobvoi and potentially reopen the Google Play Store in China.

The company may be coy on its China plans, but today’s news is undoubted evidence that those plans do exit in some form. Google Inc and its Google Capital VC arm have made investments in China in the past — including a $5 million stake in music and video site Xuneli way back in 2007 — but this deal with Mobvoi is certainly its most strategic to date, and it sets off thoughts about what the search giant has up its sleeve.

Maruti Suzuki Ciaz RS Launched at 9.2 Lakh

Taking the festive fervour a notch up, Maruti Suzuki today launched the Ciaz RS - a new variant of the mid-size sedan - at 9.2 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The Maruti Suzuki Ciaz RS takes on a sporty stance with new black interiors and grey chrome finish instrument panel. It also gets a spoiler pack that includes a front under spoiler, side under spoiler, trunk-lid spoiler and rear underbody spoiler. Maruti Suzuki claims the aforementioned exterior changes enhance the aerodynamics of the car.

Offered in both, petrol and hybrid diesel versions, the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz RS gets all the features and benefits of the Ciaz Z+ variant. Some of the provisions include projector head-lamps, alloy wheels, blacked-out B-pillar, turn indicators on ORVM, leather seat upholstery, leather-wrapped steering, Start-Stop button, etc. to name a few.

Mr R S Kalsi, Executive Director (Marketing and Sales), Maruti Suzuki, said, "Ciaz has emerged as one of our strong brands. It has enabled us to strengthen our position in the mid-size premium sedan segment. Brand Ciaz has been appreciated by customers for denoting high style, being feature-rich and offering best in class mileage in both petrol and diesel options. Further, the introduction of smart hybrid diesel and safety features such as dual airbags and ABS in base variants has enhanced the reputation of Ciaz. For customers who love Ciaz and want something even more distinctive and stylish, Ciaz RS is irresistible."

Just so you know, Maruti Suzuki has sold over 56,000 units of the Ciaz since its launch in October, 2014.

Maruti Suzuki Ciaz RS will be offered with a choice of 7 colour options: Pearl Snow White, Metallic Silky Silver, Pearl Midnight Black, Pearl Metallic Dignity Brown, Metallic Glistening Gray, Metallic Clear Beige, and Pearl Sangria Red.

Maruti Suzuki Ciaz RS Features:

- Projector head-lamps

- Alloy wheels

- Leather seat upholstery

- Start-Stop button

- Height-Adjustable Driver Seat

- Rear A/C Vents

- Electrically Adjustable ORVMs

- Touchscreen SmartPlay System

- Bluetooth Connectivity

- Navigation System

- Steering-Mounted Controls

Maruti Suzuki Ciaz RS Safety Features:

- ABS

- Driver Airbag

- Co-driver Airbag

- Reverse Parking Sensor and Camera

- Engine Immobilizer

Maruti Suzuki Ciaz RS Price (ex-showroom, Delhi):

- Zxi+ RS: 9.2 lakh

- Zdi+ SHVS RS: 10.28 lakh