Cheaper YouTube Premium option could be announced soon

Summary

Google could be about to officially launch YouTube Premium Lite, a cheaper version of YouTube Premium, in the US, Australia, Germany, and Thailand.
The previous iteration of YouTube Premium Lite in Europe got scrapped in 2023, but the new version may offer limited ads for users.
There is no word on what the price of YouTube Premium Lite will be in the US and when exactly it will launch.

Google is reportedly gearing up to launch YouTube Premium Lite in the US soon.

Premium Lite is a cheaper version of YouTube’s Premium subscription model. According to Bloomberg, the service will launch initially in the US, Australia, Germany, and Thailand and “target viewers who primarily want to watch programs other than music videos.”

YouTube Premium currently costs $14 per month in the US and allows users to watch videos on the platform without ads, along with other features like YouTube Music and the option to download videos for offline viewing. There is no word on what the price of Premium Lite in the US will be yet.

YouTube Premium

What’s included?: YouTube and YouTube Music add-free and in the background
Price: $14 a month
Live TV: No

I created my own free streaming service and now I can watch anything I want

Watch what you want, when you want, without licensing getting in the way.

The history of YouTube Premium Lite

Google began testing a new version of the subscription last year

Google first began testing YouTube Premium Lite in select European countries in 2021. At the time, it cost €6.99 per month (about $7) and offered ad-free viewing. However, it didn’t offer additional features like offline downloads, background playback, or YouTube Music. In 2023, YouTube announced it would no longer offer the subscription model.

In October 2024, YouTube began testing a new version of Premium Lite, which has limited ads. In Australia, the service reportedly costs 9 AUD a month (about $6 USD). In a statement to Bloomberg, YouTube said it hopes to roll out this new version of Premium Lite to more countries soon.

“As part of our commitment to provide our users with more choice and flexibility, we’ve been testing a new YouTube Premium offering with most videos ad-free in several of our markets,” a spokesperson for YouTube told Bloomberg. “We’re hoping to expand this offering to even more users in the future with our partners’ support.”

Depending on the perks, YouTube Premium Lite may be worth it, especially if it provides mostly ad-free viewing. It’s been reported that there might still be ads on music videos, but it could be worth considering if there are no ads on other types of videos. As someone who has been subscribed to YouTube Premium for nearly two years and can’t live without it now, I’m curious to see what Premium Lite will be like in the US.