YouTube is joining T-Mobile’s Binge On program, which allows customers to stream as much video as they’d like from partner streaming services without the data counting against their monthly data caps.
T-Mobile chief John Legere announced the news in a video on Twitter, noting that his company is also adding others like Fox Business, Red Bull TV, and Discovery Go, taking the total of Binge On partners to more than 50.
YouTube parent Google had originally expressed concerns about the Binge On plan, as it downgrades video to a 480p resolution. The Binge On “optimization” reduces the quality of all video streaming, regardless of whether it comes from a Binge On partner or not. Google had expressed concern that it would impact the YouTube user experience.
T-Mobile is now allowing both customers AND streaming providers to opt out from the downgrade and stream at the video’s original resolution, all the way up to 4K. Any such video streaming does, however, count against the users monthly data cap.
YouTube is the first content partner to benefit from another change in how Binge On works, as T-Mobile will now allow content providers to do the mobile streaming optimization themselves. This allows providers to better mold the video experience for their customers.
