If you"re a YouTube user without a premium subscription, you may have noticed the rampant increase in ads on the platform. For those who want a cleaner experience, YouTube offers a Premium subscription that offers ad-free videos, background playback, the ability to download videos, YouTube Music Premium, and YouTube Originals. However, it now appears that the company is trialing a cheaper "Premium Lite" subscription in Europe.
YouTube has confirmed to The Verge that the Premium Lite subscription is currently being trialed in some European countries including Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. It offers ad-free viewing for €6.99/month (~$8.3/month), and does not include any of the other benefits offered by YouTube Premium.
It is important to note that YouTube Premium costs €11.99/month in parts of Europe, which means that YouTube is knocking off €5 if you just want an ad-free experience without any of the other benefits. As of now, it supports ad-free viewing across YouTube apps on the web, Android, iOS, smart TVs, consoles, as well as the YouTube Kids app.
While the €6.99/month price tier sounds steep on paper, it will likely be enticing for heavy users of YouTube who just want to get rid of ads. YouTube has emphasized that the offering is currently in experimental phases and will be made available in other countries on a rolling basis. Given the nature of the project, it may also be possible that the cost of the subscription changes based on audience feedback.
Source: The Verge