YouTube Launches Premium Lite Plan for Affordable Ad-Free Streaming

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): YouTube has announced the launch of a new, more affordable subscription plan, Premium Lite, which offers ad-free content streaming at a reduced price. The plan, currently in its pilot phase, costs $7.99 (roughly Rs. 695) per month and provides ad-free streaming for "most videos" on the platform. Initially available in the US, YouTube plans to expand Premium Lite to additional regions, including Australia, Germany, and Thailand, in the coming weeks.

Features and Limitations of YouTube Premium Lite

While YouTube Premium Lite offers ad-free viewing of most content, it comes with a few trade-offs compared to the standard YouTube Premium plan. Notably, it does not include YouTube Music, so users will not have access to ad-free music streaming, music videos, or features like background play and offline music downloads. Although users can still listen to music with ads, the plan excludes premium music features.

YouTube specifies that Premium Lite users may still encounter ads on certain content, such as music videos and Shorts, and during search and browsing activities. The new plan was introduced to offer a more affordable option for ad-free viewing, without the full set of features available in the $13.99 (roughly Rs. 1,200) per month YouTube Premium plan.

Expansion and YouTube's 20th Anniversary

YouTube is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and has reached a significant milestone of 125 million subscribers, including those on trial. With the introduction of Premium Lite, the platform is looking to provide a variety of subscription options to cater to different user preferences, offering a more flexible approach to content consumption.