YouTube is experimenting with a new plan that allows users to watch ad-free videos at almost half the price of its Premium service.
According to reports, YouTube is experimenting with a new subscription tier in Europe, dubbed “YouTube Premium Lite.” The plan allows access to an ad-free experience at a 40% lower price (€6,99) than its €11,99 per month YouTube Premium subscription.
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Premium Lite allows for ad-free viewing on YouTube’s main app across the web, iOS, Android, smart TVs, games consoles, and in the YouTube Kids app.
However, Premium Lite doesn’t offer background playback (which allows users to switch between apps without interrupting audio), offline downloads, YouTube Music benefits (such as ad-free listening), nor any other Premium features.
The new plan, which was spotted over the weekend, has been confirmed by YouTube in a statement to The Verge earlier this week. Apparently, the new plan is currently being tested in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.
“In Nordics and Benelux (except for Iceland), we’re testing a new offering to give users even more choice: Premium Lite costs €6.99/month (or local equivalent per month) and it includes ad-free videos on YouTube,” a YouTube spokesperson said in the statement.
YouTube says that the Premium Lite subscription is in an experimental phase, serving the purpose of gathering feedback from users to then roll out more plans in the future.