YouTube is axing its ad-free Premium Lite subscription plan

After YouTube spent two years piloting Premium Lite, a lower-cost subscription plan for ad-free video viewing in choose nations, the platform is pulling the plug on the tier. In an e-mail to prospects, YouTube introduced it’s going to not provide Premium Lite after October twenty fifth, 2023.

At €6.99 per thirty days, YouTube’s Premium Lite plan first launched in choose European nations in 2021, together with Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. It gives ad-free viewing throughout YouTube’s spectrum of apps and codecs however doesn’t include Premium’s different options like offline downloads, background playback, or any YouTube Music advantages.

However quickly, current Premium Lite subscribers might be left with two choices: return to watching YouTube with advertisements or subscribe to the pricier YouTube Premium that additionally contains YouTube Music. In an e-mail notifying customers of the change, YouTube says it’s going to provide Lite subscribers a one-month free trial of YouTube Premium, no matter whether or not they’ve had a trial earlier than. It notes that subscribers might want to cancel their Lite subscription or await it to be canceled with the intention to redeem the provide. YouTube raised the worth of its Premium and Music subscriptions within the US in July.

“We’re writing to let that after 25 October 2023, we’ll not offer your model of Premium Lite,” YouTube writes within the e-mail. “Whereas we perceive that this can be disappointing information, we proceed to work on completely different variations of Premium Lite as we incorporate suggestions from our customers, creators and companions.”

The Verge has acquired a number of emails from Premium Lite subscribers to our tipline, informing us of their disappointment, whereas a ResetEra discussion board dialogue is presently rising with different European customers lamenting the lack of their service. Premium Lite could have been a comparatively unknown service to many people residing within the US and different areas that by no means had entry, however primarily based on preliminary reactions to its discontinuation, it appears to be the Goldilocks “good” stage for individuals who wish to skip advertisements however don’t have any curiosity in paying extra for YouTube Music or downloading movies for offline viewing.