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UPDATE 3/5: YouTube today officially launched Premium Lite in the US for $7.99 per month.
The new tier offers the same ad-free streaming as the standard YouTube Premium, except for music and music videos. The Lite version also doesn't support downloads and background play.
"We’ve been testing Premium Lite to make sure we have the right balance of features and benefits for those viewers who want to watch most videos ad-free—whether it’s gaming, comedy, cooking or learning," YouTube says.
YouTube describes Premium Lite as a "pilot." In the coming weeks, it plans to expand Lite "to all users in our current pilot countries—Thailand, Germany, and Australia."
(Credit: YouTube)Original Story 2/21:
Google is prepping a cheaper YouTube "premium lite" subscription.
As Bloomberg reports, the new subscription tier will first be launched in the US, Australia, Germany, and Thailand. It will provide ad-free viewing and target users who primarily watch programs other than music videos, the report adds.
“As part of our commitment to provide our users with more choice and flexibility, we’ve been testing a new YouTube Premium offering with most videos ad-free in several of our markets,” a YouTube spokesperson tells Bloomberg. “We’re hoping to expand this offering to even more users in the future with our partners’ support.”
Details about the pricing and potential release date are unclear. Currently, the standard YouTube Premium subscription costs $13.99 per month in the US.
This isn’t YouTube’s first attempt at a “premium lite” subscription. In 2021, the company tested the service in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. For €6.99, users could unlock ad-free viewing and background play on YouTube across the web, Android, iOS, game consoles, and smart TVs. However, the program was rolled back in 2023.
Talks about the premium lite subscription resurfaced in October last year after an Australian user posted about it on Threads. This time, the months-long test was conducted in Australia, Germany, and Thailand. It offered ad-free viewing for non-music videos but excluded background play and all other YouTube Premium features.