YouTube Introduces New Premium Lite Plan: What You Need to Know
The recent increase in YouTube’s subscription price has certainly created a noticeable shift in the streaming landscape. For those seeking an uninterrupted, ad-free experience on YouTube, the monthly fee now stands at $13.99, a rise from the previous $11.99. Alternatively, users may resort to a third-party solution. However, YouTube has introduced a middle ground with its new Premium Lite plan, priced at $7.99 per month, making it a more affordable option by $6, albeit with some limitations.
Subscribers to the YouTube Premium Lite plan can expect ad-free viewing primarily on popular categories of long-form content, such as gaming, fashion, beauty, and news. While the specifics seem a bit ambiguous, Johanna Voolich, YouTube’s Chief Product Officer, clarified in a recent video that this includes all forms of “core creator content,” encompassing podcasts, gaming streams, and makeup tutorials, which should remain free of ads.
However, there is a caveat: other types of content, particularly music and related videos, will still include ads. This raises questions about where exactly the line is drawn between “core creator” content and other formats. Users will likely need time to fully understand the nuances of this classification. For instance, what happens when a smaller creator uploads a gaming video that may not fit neatly within the YouTube Gaming category?
Missing Features
In addition to the ad-free experience, the lower-tier plan lacks two significant features found in the full Premium offering. Users will not have the ability to download videos for offline viewing, nor will they have the option for background play. Moreover, there’s no access to YouTube Music, which would allow ad-free audio streaming.
Essentially, the YouTube Premium Lite plan caters to those who prioritize watching creator-uploaded long-form content without interruptions, while not being concerned with additional features or related services. For individuals who enjoy offline playback, the ability to listen to lengthy podcasts in the background, or have saved playlists on YouTube Music, the traditional $13.99/month Premium subscription would likely be a more suitable choice.
This new plan is currently being tested in the United States, and it may undergo changes as YouTube gathers feedback. Following this initial rollout, expansion to countries such as Thailand, Germany, and Australia is set to take place in the upcoming weeks.
