A source claims that YouTube is getting ready to release a less expensive version “premium lite” version of its subscription service, of its ad-free YouTube Premium membership, which would allow users to view videos with ads on specific kinds of material and has been testing with a small number of subscribers in Australia, Germany, and Thailand. After many months of testing, the new plan which may be dubbed YouTube Premium Lite is anticipated to be launched in four countries. The pricing of a less expensive YouTube Premium package has not yet been disclosed by the Alphabet-owned video and music streaming service.
According to Bloomberg’s report, which cites a source familiar with YouTube’s intentions, the company is preparing to offer a new tier, a less expensive version of YouTube Premium in four countries: the US, Australia, Germany, and Thailand shortly. The estimated monthly cost of the alleged “YouTube Premium Lite” membership in the US is less than $13.99/monthly, which is the price of the company’s ad-free plan which offers offline watching, mobile background play, and YouTube Music Premium.
YouTube Premium Lite users in the current test markets may view non-intrusive advertisements when searching and browsing the video platform, as well as advertisements on music and short videos.
According to Bloomberg, the tier would provide users ad-free access to YouTube’s collection of podcasts and instructional videos. Viewers who primarily wish to watch videos other than music videos will be the primary audience for Premium Lite.
Furthermore, with the help of our partners, Bloomberg’s representative hopes to extend this offering to even more users in the future.”
According to the article, those who choose the YouTube Premium Lite plan will see ads when viewing music videos on the website, however the exact fee has not been disclosed. Because of this, unless they stream a music video, people who wish to see other kinds of videos on the site could not see advertisements.
The price of the tier is unknown. YouTube is preparing to formally launch the premium light tier, although it has been tested in a few foreign areas.
The study claims that the new strategy could help consumers who view instructional or guide videos on YouTube but not music videos. If these people refrain from listening to music on YouTube, they may not encounter advertisements. However, YouTube Premium is required for those who wish to watch music videos without any commercials.
A corporate spokesman essentially acknowledged that a new plan with “most videos ad-free” has been under testing in many areas, but an official statement regarding the debut of the less expensive plans is still pending. “We’ve been testing a new YouTube Premium offering with most videos ad-free in several of our markets as part of our commitment to give our users more choice and flexibility,” the spokesman told Bloomberg.
Whether (or when) the business plans to expand YouTube Premium Lite to additional regions, including India, is still unknown. At the moment, the Premium Family plan costs 3.45 USD per month, while YouTube Premium is 1.72 USD per month (a student plan is also available for 1.14 USD). Another option available to users is YouTube Music Premium, which costs 1.37 USD a month.
The launch of YouTube’s new tier coincides with a rising battle among platforms, such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify, to become the preferred destination for podcast listeners.
Google did introduce a YouTube Premium Lite package in a few European countries back in 2021, but it was cancelled two years later. This former Lite plan, which cost €6.99/month, simply provided an ad-free YouTube experience; it did not give any of the other benefits of YouTube Premium.
Google has been working harder in recent months to prevent YouTube users from using ad blockers. More YouTube users could become paying customers if the price of the Premium Lite plan is lowered.