Rumours about YouTube working on an affordable version of its Premium membership have been around for a while. Mark Gurman, in his latest Power On newsletter, has mentioned that the streaming platform is expected to soon introduce an affordable version of the YouTube Premium subscription plan likely to be called Premium Lite.
YouTube Premium Lite subscription: What it will offer
Premium Lite subscription, according to Gurman’s report, will offer ad-free access to select content. Unlike the full Premium plan, this new tier excludes music videos, which will continue to display ads. The rollout is expected in the U.S., Australia, Germany, and Thailand. It will first debut in the US region.
Pricing of the Premium Lite plan has not been revealed yet. However, considering it shreds a lot of benefits that the regular plan offers, we expect the pricing to be on the lower side of the regular Premium plan.
Talking about the features, the Premium Lite plan focuses on providing ad-free access to podcasts and how-to videos, targeting users who consume non-music content on YouTube. This subscription aims to offer a more affordable alternative to YouTube’s full Premium plan, which includes YouTube Music and additional features.
YouTube Premium vs Premium Lite: How they compare
Although, the plan hasn’t been announced officially yet. Gurman’s report highlights several details on what the Premium Lite will bring to the table. Based on here’s a comparison table:
| Feature | YouTube Premium | YouTube Premium Lite |
| Ad-free videos | Yes | Yes (most videos) |
| Offline downloads | Yes | No |
| Background play | Yes | No |
| YouTube Music Premium | Yes | No |
| Podcasts & how-to videos | Yes | Yes |
| Music videos | Yes (ad-free) | No (ads remain) |
| Price | Varies by region | Expected to be lower than Premium |
| Availability | Global | Limited regions (U.S., Australia, Germany, Thailand at launch) |
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