YouTube is testing a cheaper ‘Premium Lite’ plan… that still has ads

I watch a lot of YouTube. I don’t watch any ads. And I refuse to pay $14 per month for YouTube Premium on principle. Maybe Google can tempt me onto the straight-and-narrow with a cheaper “Premium Lite” option?

YouTube is now testing that very thing, a stripped-down subscription option that omits certain features like video downloads and background listening. Oh, but it still has advertising in YouTube Music, in search results, and on Shorts. Yeah, I’m still gonna pass.

This update Premium Lite plan is being tested in Australia, Germany, and Thailand, according to Android Authority. Google previously offered Premium Lite in a few markets in Europe, which was similar in its limitations on extra mobile features but actually was ad-free. That particular offering was axed a year ago.

The newer, ad-infested version of YouTube Premium Lite costs $8.99 Australian dollars, a savings of $8 per month versus the full version of Premium. If you subscribe on iOS, you’ll be charged a more hefty $11.99, presumably to give Apple its cut on the App Store.

There’s no word yet on when, or if, this new Premium Lite option will expand to more countries.

Advertising has become almost inescapable on YouTube since Google started offering the expensive Premium option to get rid of it, an escalation that I’m sure is entirely coincidental. While Premium Lite could certainly continue to evolve during this “testing” period, and it might even be cheaper by the end, it still smacks of Google wanting to have its cake and eat it too. Ad blockers are a lot cheaper… though Google is trying its darnedest to make those less effective as well.