Skype announced on the company's blog that group video calling, previously a feature only available to Premium users, is now free to anyone with a Skype account using Mac OS, Windows, or Xbox One. Skype on other platforms (mostly phones, tablets, and televisions) will get group video calling free “in the future.”
As of now there is no longer a Skype Premium account, the only reason to pay Skype is if you use the voice calling to phone numbers (mobile or landline) subscriptions, currently US $2.99/mo for unlimited US/Canada calls.
At least half the people on this Skype call are smiling. Clearly this is a Photoshopped image.
Screen sharing to a group was another feature of the paid Skype account that is now free. Previously, sharing a screen was limited to one other person, or to paid accounts.
If you expect to hang out online with your friends all day, you may want to think again about using Skype to do it. According to the Group Video Calling Fair Usage Policy, “Group video calls are subject to a fair usage limit of 100 hours per month with no more than 10 hours per day and a limit of 4 hours per individual video call. Once these limits have been reached, the video will switch off and the call will convert to an audio call.”