YouTube Launches Premium Lite, a Low-Cost Subscription for Ad-Free Viewing of Creator Content

YouTube

YouTube has launched Premium Lite in the U.S. This new subscription tier allows users to watch “most videos” across categories like gaming, fashion, beauty, cooking, news, and more, ad-free for $7.99 per month.

Unlike YouTube Premium, which costs $13.99 per month, Premium Lite will still show ads on music content and Shorts. It also doesn’t include benefits such as downloads, background play, and other features.

Currently, YouTube Premium and Music have a combined 125 million subscribers.

Why It Matters: With Premium Lite, YouTube adds a low-entry option to its subscription offering. It’s perfect for users who want the essentials, watching content from their favorite creators without interruptions.

As early pilots have shown, Lite members are likely to upgrade to YouTube Premium, while fewer Premium members are expected to downgrade to Premium Lite. This suggests that Premium Lite could lead to increased subscriber upgrades, which benefits YouTube.

This, along with efforts like bringing Premium to Delta flights, should drive more paying subscribers. This is beneficial not only for YouTube but also for creators, as they receive a share of subscription fees when paying members watch their content ad-free.