MUMBAI: Video sharing site YouTube’s proposed paid subscription option to be introduced in the coming months will be simple, improve quality of music videos, fend off piracy and expand user’s range of options, YouTube (India) said.

According to reports, the site- which is owned by Internet giant Google- and is the most popular of its kind in the world is reaching out to several producers asking them to submit applications to create for-pay "channels." The first such channels could be available to consumers by the second quarter for between $1 to $5 a month.

“The model used is very simple wherein channel owners would create a separate segment of paid content for the viewers who are willing to pay a reasonable sum for better and higher quality of videos. A large amount of videos will still be free, just the paid content would come with the promise of the best of watching experience,” a YouTube (India) official told Radioandmusic.com.

The initiative is eagerly awaited as YouTube has millions of videos- mostly amateur produced- across hundreds of categories including music. Its potency can be judged by the fact that last year’s top pop sensation Korean rapper Psy’s main claim to fame was for his song ‘Gangnam Style’ that received more than a billion hits on YouTube.

YouTube had hinted in the past that it was considering offering subscription-based paid content. YouTube CEO Salar Kamangar had told news agency Reuters last June that there was strong demand among certain YouTube video producers, such as video game networks, to offer fee-based programmes.

"They have such a big audience that they can start to segment their audiences into those that are willing to pay a higher amount" for things like new gaming tricks, Kamangar said.

He also said that cable channels with small audiences could potentially be offered to consumers through YouTube on an "a la carte" basis.

This move would definitely improve the quality of music videos and will also help curb piracy. This will help the movie industry to fend off growing piracy concerns while expanding the range of viewing options for customers. Also many of the pirated versions of music videos uploaded by individuals don’t promise a higher quality of watching experience. If there is an option of superior quality from official music channels at a reasonable price, it’s a win-win deal for both the consumers and music industry at large, YouTube official said.

Analysts are hedging their bets on the proposed move by Google, which owns YouTube. On one hand there is ample scope for producers of professional content, like news service, to monetize their content and on the other there was also the danger that viewers would refuse to pay for videos in a site that has so far been free.

The first wave of paid content producers are expected to be those focused on specified content and demographic groups like news, games and sports.

On the issue of  how would it affect thousands and millions of amateur contributors and whether they stand to benefit also, and the Indian market, the official said that the paid content option works as a new medium of income for them. It allows them to monetize their content in a new way other than ads.

“In the ‘rental’ model, viewers will be able to pay a one-time fee to stream the movie for a limited amount of time. In India, this model or the pay-per view service is a natural step for us and the partners that we are working with. Once we have the functionality defined and in place, we will be ready. Already there are many Indian media companies that are interested to take up this model,” the official said.