YouTube / Depositphotos
YouTube has announced the launch of a new premium subscription plan called Premium Lite. It will allow users to watch «most» videos without ads for $7.99 per month.
With a lower cost, this tariff has certain limitations. YouTube Lite subscribers will be able to watch videos in categories such as games, fashion, beauty, cooking, news, etc. without ads, but will still see ads in music videos and music-related content. As a basic subscription, Premium Lite will not include several benefits available in the full version of YouTube Premium ($13.99 per month), such as the ability to download videos, play in the background, or watch music videos without ads.
YouTube has been testing Premium Lite in Thailand, Germany, and Australia, and now it’s rolling it out to users in the United States. Currently, the new subscription is available in the US as a pilot project, and in the coming weeks it will be available to all users in the test markets. YouTube plans to expand Premium Lite to new regions in the coming months, initially in a test format.
This initiative will allow YouTube to generate more revenue from subscriptions, which can help grow the business of content creators. The new Lite tier may be attractive to younger audiences who spend more time watching online videos on platforms such as YouTube and TikTok instead of traditional television.
It will also make watching on big screens in the living room more convenient, as there will be fewer commercial breaks. YouTube recently announced that most of its views in the US now take place on TVsand not on smartphones or computers.
Today, YouTube Music and YouTube Premium subscriptions together cover more than 125 million users worldwide (including trial subscriptions), the company said.
Source: techcrunch