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A cheaper, ad-free YouTube Premium tier is now trialing in Europe
- YouTube is testing a cheaper alternative to YouTube Premium.
- YouTube Premium Lite includes ad-free viewing but little else.
- It costs €6.99/month in a handful of European countries.
If you subscribe to YouTube Premium just to rid your viewing experience of ads and nothing more, you’re probably paying too much. That’s seemingly a view shared by YouTube, too. The company is now trialing a cheaper Premium tier in a select number of European nations.
Dubbed YouTube Premium Lite, the package is currently available in seven nations across the Nordic and Benelux regions (h/t The Verge). Priced at €6.99/month ($8.30), it’s €5 cheaper than the standard Premium price in the region and the same price as the YouTube Premium plan for students.
Users still get ad-free YouTube across its various devices platforms, apps, and the Kids app for the lower price. But as its name suggests, it cuts a slew of features offered by Premium proper. For starters, background viewing and downloads are not available. Music lovers will miss some features, too. Ad-free YouTube Music is also not available, and you won’t be able to download tracks or play tunes in the background, either. Arguably, that price might still be pretty lofty for those only interested in removing ads.
More reading: Your guide to all the YouTube Services
There’s no word on if or when YouTube Premium Lite will arrive in other global markets. Considering that Google usually keeps pricing numbers consistent across currencies, the US version could cost just $6.99.
Will you subscribe to YouTube Premium Lite when it's available?
But what’s your opinion on YouTube Premium Lite? Would you ditch it for YouTube Premium proper? Be sure to vote in our poll above and drop a line in the comments. If you haven’t yet tried YouTube Premium but want to give it a go, be sure to sign up using the button below.