YouTube paid subscription service on its way, with ad-free videos and offline watching

Service is set to cost $10 a month and is coming soon, according to reports

The YouTube logo is seen as the "Dear White People" reception in 2014 Park City. (Andrew H. Walker/Staff/Getty)

YouTube is set to launch its paid-for service in the coming months, and will charge $10 a month for extra features and access to exclusive content, according to reports.

Premium users will be able to watch videos offline and without ads, according to The Verge. They wil also be able to watch films that have been hidden behind a paywall by their creators, allowing them to be watched only by premium members.

A letter sent to YouTube creators and published on Bloomberg said: "By creating a new paid offering, we'll generate a new source of revenue that will supplement your fast growing advertising service”.

The reports appear to have come from discussions between YouTube and people who make videos for the service, which centred around new terms that would allow it to make videos only available to paying users. Those creators are set to get 55 per cent of the subscription revenues.

Google has long been looking to integrate a payment system into YouTube, allowing for users to be charged to watch videos. It has already done the same with music videos and tracks that are hosted on the service, with YouTube Music Key allowing people to opt out of ads and have access to other features for a monthly subscription.

The site also allows users to rent or buy films through the service, which was used with great publicity when the makers of The Interview opted to release it on YouTube after a huge hack.

In a statement, YouTube said: “While we can't comment on ongoing discussions, giving fans more choice to enjoy the content they love and creators more opportunity to earn revenue are always amongst our top priorities.”