YouTube Premium expands to five more African countries

The development follows the arrival of the service to Ghana, Kenya and Senegal in December, allowing users access to uninterrupted viewing on the digital streaming platform.

The new African countries are Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Uganda, Libya and Morocco. Others are Azerbaijan, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Reunion and Yemen.

Subscribers will gain access to YouTube Music Premium, enabling ad-free listening and offline playback.

With YouTube Music, users get access to an extensive catalogue of millions of official songs, live performances, music videos, remixes, podcasts and rare tracks. The platform also offers personalised recommendations tailored to individual preferences.

Key features of YouTube Music include Smart Search for easy song discovery, the Activity Bar for quick playlist navigation and the Explore Tab showcasing new and popular music. Additionally, the Related Tab offers personalised music content based on the current song being played, while synchronised Song Lyrics enhance interactive music experience.

“With the YouTube Music app, we’ve built a dedicated music streaming experience that delivers over 100 million official songs, along with an extensive catalogue of live performances, music videos, remixes, podcasts, and hard-to-find music that you can’t get anywhere else,” YouTube’s head of music for sub-Saharan Africa, Addy Awofisayo, said in December. “We’ve taken all of that music content and created a personalised journey through sound that fits your particular music needs and preferences.”

Meanwhile, YouTube this week introduced a Creator Studio tool for creators to disclose when realistic content, possibly mistaken for real, is made with altered or synthetic media like generative AI. These indications, visible as labels, aim to foster transparency and trust. Examples include digitally altered likenesses and modified real event footage.