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YouTube Premium Lite may not be dead after all (Update)
- YouTube Premium Lite was discontinued back in 2023.
- Despite being discontinued, some people have recently spotted the option being available.
- The Premium Lite tier offers a limited ad experience for half the price of the Premium tier.
Update: October 16, 2024 (12:40PM ET): A spokesperson from Google has told Android Authority that the company is “testing a different version of Premium Lite.” Users in “Australia, Germany and Thailand may see the option to sign up.”
Original article: October 16, 2024 (11:15AM ET): For those who remember, YouTube used to offer a cheaper Lite alternative to its Premium subscription. That Premium Lite tier came to an end in 2023. However, recent evidence seems to suggest that Google may be resurrecting the service.
Users are reporting that they are seeing the option to subscribe to YouTube Premium Lite. A user on Threads has posted a screenshot of Premium Lite being presented next to Premium for about half the price. Meanwhile, a Reddit user has also provided a screenshot of the Lite offering. Adding more fuel to the fire, some users claim that Premium Lite has rolled out to Germany and Australia.
For context, YouTube ended its Premium Lite subscription on October 25, 2023, after piloting it for two years. The plan was launched in Europe, including Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. For about €6.99 per month, the tier offered ad-free viewing, like Premium, but was missing features such as offline downloads, background playback, or any YouTube Music benefits.
In the screenshots provided in the reports, it appears the offerings have slightly changed some. This new Premium Lite model is offering a limited ad experience instead of completely ad-free viewing. Other than that, the plan seems to still work across devices and is missing offline downloads, background playback, and YouTube Music Premium. Lite is also about half the price of what’s being asked for the Premium subscription.
We have reached out to Google to ask if YouTube Premium Lite is indeed returning and for what markets. We’ll update this article when new information is available.
If the plan is coming back, hopefully, it will also launch in the US this time. YouTube Premium in the US currently costs $13.99 per month for an individual plan, $22.99/month for family, and $7.99/month for students.