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YouTube trials cheaper ‘Premium Lite’ tier without YouTube Music

Many complaints about the cost of a YouTube Premium subscription could soon be addressed with a new “YouTube Premium Lite” subscription tier that will provide ad-free video viewing at a new lower price.

YouTube’s Premium Lite tier was initially spotted on the /r/YouTube subreddit as being available to those in Finland and Sweden but has since seen a wider availability in more regions. YouTube confirmed to The Verge that “Premium Lite” is currently being tested in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden with no word on if or when it might come to other regions:

“In Nordics and Benelux (except for Iceland), we’re testing a new offering to give users even more choice: Premium Lite costs €6.99/month (or local equivalent per month) and it includes ad-free videos on YouTube.”

This comes in at almost half the price of the “full” YouTube Premium subscription tier — which is priced at around €11.99 per month in Europe but can cost more if a subscription is started using the YouTube app on iOS devices.

Given the saturation of other music streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music across the globe, YouTube Premium Lite might prove to be a popular option for those not wanting another audio streaming service tacked on top. Premium Lite includes ad-free video viewing across desktop, mobile, smart TVs, and more:

What is included with Premium Lite?

YouTube

• Ad-free videos: Watch millions of videos uninterrupted by ads. Learn more

YouTube Kids

• Ad-free in the YouTube Kids app

One downside is that YouTube Premium Lite does not appear to include background playback or offline downloads for your favorite content. This does limit the appeal, but for those just wanting to remove ads from content, access exclusive YouTube Originals, and support creators, this is a fairly affordable way to do so.

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Avatar for Damien Wilde Damien Wilde

Damien is a UK-based video producer for 9to5Google. Find him on Twitter: @iamdamienwilde. Email: damien@9to5mac.com


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