Will we soon have to pay to speed up YouTube playback?

Speeding up a video when the speaker is too slow for your liking is a habit many have adopted on YouTube, in an era where "time is short" and every second counts. Will YouTube's accelerated playback be reserved for Premium subscribers? The 1.25x, 1.5x, and even 2x speed options have become essential for many, to the point that YouTube is considering monetizing them by reserving them exclusively for Premium subscribers, who currently pay to avoid ads on their videos. This is according to the website Android Authority, which reports the experiences of users who encountered a refusal after trying to change their video speed. A refusal accompanied by a message that, in essence, promises access to this feature on the condition of upgrading to YouTube Premium. Monetization of YouTube's accelerated playback is in the testing phase. Only a handful of users are affected, showing that YouTube is currently testing this possibility to see how the public reacts. But knowing the lure of profit and the lack of scruples that characterize large companies (see Amazon, which adds ads to Prime Video, even though you're already paying, and requires an additional payment to remove them), don't be surprised if the 1.25x feature disappears within a few months…