Love it or hate it, but the monetization of Youtube was inevitable and this is the genesis. Google has spent the last couple of years re-focusing the layout of Youtube as a quality and content focused discovery tool, instead of it being a service that's used for watching locatz and fail videos. Now that Youtube has become a media juggernaut and a household name, they're ready to start charging for it.
This is just the beginning and I'm certain that even more motoring publications (EVO, Autocar,Motor Trend,etc) will follow suit. Magazine/print media sales are dwindling as it is - this seems to be the next best way to revive the industry and perhaps make it more profitable. The problem is, if every youtube channel starts requesting $4 for good content every month, then it'll become too expensive. I sense that Youtube will eventually roll out a flat rate ($8/month a la Netflix) which will enable one to watch unlimited paid content per month. Drive is a pilot project and if it takes off (which I think it will), this will completely re-imagine how people consume content, and IMO, it will be a stepping stone in ending the legacy of cable TV operators which have colluded and monopolized the media and content for decades.
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