YouTube Premium Lite removes ads but also offline downloads and background playback

A new YouTube subscription offering has been spotted in testing, dubbed Premium Lite, as Google continues to seek new ways to monetize our eyeballs beyond ads.


STORY HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Premium Lite is for ad-free YouTube experiences
  • The new subscription is being tested with some users
  • It also provides ad-free access to YouTube Music
  • Features like offline downloads are also not included

YoTube Premium: no ads, no offline downloads and no background playback

The new subscription tier, first spotted by a user on ResetEra, is meant for people who want to get rid of those extremely annoying and frequent ads on YouTube but don’t necessarily need all of the features that are found in the pricier YouTube Premium tier.

For those unfamiliar with it, YouTube Premium gets rids of ads across YouTube.com, YouTube Music, YouTube Gaming and YouTube Kids. It also includes attractive perks such as offline downloads, background playback and original content exclusive to subscribers.

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With YouTube Premium Lite, you’re buying yourself ad-free YouTube experiences across desktop and mobile devices, smart TVs, gaming consoles and other devices with embedded YouTube, in exchange for a lower monthly fee. You also get free access to YouTube Originals.

What you don’t get, however, are all of the other perks of the YouTube Premium subscription—namely things like offline downloads and background playback.

YouTube Premium vs. Lite: Price comparison

Let’s see how YouTube Premium and Lite compare to one another price-wise:

  • YouTube Premium (US): $11.9 per month
  • YouTube Premium (Europe): €11.99/£11.99 per month
  • YouTube Premium Lite (Europe): €6.99/£6.99 per month

Those prices are valid if purchasing a YouTube subscription on the web. In other words, the plans will cost more if started using the YouTube app on iPhone and iPad.

If these prices stay the same when Lite launches, then the new offering will be priced about 60 percent of a YouTube Premium plan while bringing only 25 percent of its features.

Google has confirmed to The Verge that YouTube Premium Lite is currently being testing with some users in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

For further information, visit youtube.com/premiumlite.