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YouTube Premium Lite set to launch in the US, offering a cheaper ad-free experience


Something to look forward to: It’s been almost four years since YouTube piloted a more affordable version of its premium subscription service in some European countries, but it was axed in 2023. Now, it seems YouTube is preparing to bring back Premium Lite – including in the US – which will remove ads from most uploaded videos.

According to a source familiar with the plans who spoke to Bloomberg, YouTube’s Premium Lite tier will be announced soon in the US, Australia, Germany, and Thailand.

Last October, YouTube said it was testing a different version of Premium Lite, with one user in Australia confirming that the tier had limited ads. The price was $8.99 ($5.74) AUD per month, whereas standard YouTube Premium is $16.99 ($10.85) in the country.

YouTube Premium offers several features, including ad-free viewing of videos, offline downloads, YouTube Music Premium, and some original content.

Premium Lite strips back most of these perks, including YouTube Music Premium, offline downloads and background play, but ads will still be absent from most non-music videos.

There’s no word on how much Premium Lite will cost in the US. The current Premium offering is $14 per month, so based on the prices seen in other countries during the tests, somewhere around $7 seems likely.

Premium Lite is certainly an interesting proposition. YouTube has been clamping down hard on people using ad-blockers in recent times, but few are willing to hand over $14 per month for YouTube Premium, especially if they have no interest in YouTube Music. A cheaper version of the subscription that removes almost everything but the ad-free videos could have a lot of appeal.

A YouTube spokesperson confirmed that that the new tier was on its way.

“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,” the spokesperson said. “We’re hoping to expand this offering to even more users in the future with our partners’ support.”

YouTube Premium subscribers have been increasing steadily over the years. According to estimates, there were approximately 20 million US subscribers in 2020. Today, this number is believed to be more than 28 million.

Would you be willing to pay around $7 for an ad-free YouTube experience that doesn’t include YouTube Music? Let us know in the comments below.

Center image: Allison Saeng



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