YouTube Set to Revive Premium Lite Subscription Service

YouTube is reportedly preparing to reintroduce its Premium Lite subscription service, which promises an almost ad-free video streaming experience, albeit with some limitations. According to a report by Bloomberg, the service is expected to launch soon in Germany, and it will also be available for the first time in the United States, the home market of Google.

Currently, users who wish to enjoy YouTube without ads must subscribe to YouTube Premium. This premium service offers numerous additional features, including music streaming through YouTube Music, the ability to play videos in the background on mobile devices, and the option to download content for offline viewing. However, subscribers are required to pay for these features even if they do not utilize them.

The Premium Lite offering was initially introduced in 2021, allowing users to stream videos without advertisements for a monthly fee of EUR7. This was a more affordable option, priced EUR5 lower than the standard YouTube Premium subscription at that time. However, access to this subscription was inconsistent, with only select users in certain regions being able to sign up, and subscriptions were terminated at the end of 2023.

Since then, there have been sporadic reports indicating that YouTube has intermittently offered the Premium Lite subscription. Bloomberg now states that the service is on the brink of a significant international rollout. A YouTube spokesperson expressed, "As part of our efforts to provide users with more choices and flexibility, we have tested a new YouTube Premium offering in some markets that allows most videos to be viewed without ads. We hope to expand this offer to more users in the future with the support of our partners."

The Premium Lite service will maintain the same structure as previous tests, allowing subscribers to watch most videos without ads while foregoing additional features such as mobile video downloads. However, it is important to note that users of Premium Lite will still encounter advertisements when watching music videos. The pricing details for this latest iteration of Premium Lite have yet to be disclosed.