YouTube may soon be offering a new, more affordable subscription plan. Called YouTube Premium Lite, the plan aims to provide an ad-free experience for most videos, while retaining some ads.
According to several sources, Google is currently testing a new Premium Lite plan in some countries such as Australia, Germany and Thailand. The price is said to be about half that of the classic Premium subscription. In Australia, for example, Premium Lite would cost 8.99 Australian dollars compared to 16.99 dollars for the full version.
Unlike the previous version of Premium Lite abandoned in 2023, this new version would include advertising on certain content. Users would see ads on music videos, Shorts, as well as non-intrusive ads when searching and browsing the platform.
An intermediate offer with limited features
If this formula sees the light of day, it would not offer all the features of the classic Premium subscription. Users would not have access to YouTube Music without ads, nor to background playback or downloading videos for offline viewing.
A YouTube spokesperson confirmed to Bloomberg that the company is testing "a new YouTube Premium offering with most videos ad-free in several of our markets." He added that YouTube hopes to "expand this offering to even more users in the future with the support of our partners."
With such a subscription, YouTube is likely looking to diversify its revenue streams, while also offering more choice to users. With the increase in the price of the Premium subscription and the fight against ad blockers, this intermediate offer could appeal to those who want an improved experience without paying the high price.
Although the precise details and the official launch date remain to be confirmed, this initiative by YouTube could well push some users to take the plunge and subscribe to this new formula which is half the price of the classic Premium. It remains to be seen whether this formula will find its audience, since it will still contain ads, and whether it will be deployed on a larger scale, particularly in the United States and Europe.
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