YouTube Retests Cheaper Premium Lite Subscription with Limited Ads

The company has confirmed to The Verge that it is testing a different version of its subscription service with select users in Australia, Germany, and Thailand. This testing has been ongoing for several months, with the most recent phase commencing in Australia earlier this year. Spokesperson Jessica Gibby stated that there is no additional information regarding a broader rollout at this time.

Singer-songwriter Jonah Manzano shared screenshots on Threads, revealing that the Premium Lite subscription in Australia is priced at $8.99 AUD per month on the web, which is less than half the cost of the full Premium subscription at $16.99 AUD. On iOS, Premium Lite is priced at $11.99 AUD, while the full Premium subscription is $22.99 AUD, according to additional screenshots from Manzano.

The previous version of Premium Lite offered an ad-free experience on YouTube and YouTube Kids, but the new version includes limited ads. YouTube notes in a footnote that advertisements may appear on "music content and Shorts," and users might encounter "non-interruptive ads when searching and browsing."

The details from the screenshot indicate that this iteration of Premium Lite does not provide ad-free access to YouTube Music, nor does it allow users to download and play videos offline or listen to videos in the background. These features were also unavailable in the former version of Premium Lite.

YouTube initially began testing Premium Lite in parts of Europe in 2021.

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