YouTube recently offered a Premium Lite subscription for a limited time in select European Union countries before discontinuing it in October 2023. Priced at half the cost of the full Premium subscription, this tier provided an ad-free viewing experience but lacked the additional benefits included in the standard Premium package. Reports have now confirmed to Android Authority that Premium Lite will return, but it is expected not to be entirely ad-free.
Screenshots posted by users on Reddit and Threads, as reported by Android Authority, have revealed the appearance of a new Premium Lite option during the sign-up process for paid tiers. This Lite version was noted to be priced nearly half of the regular Premium rate, with the Premium at $22.99 and the Lite at $11.99.
Google has confirmed to the site that the Lite tier will reappear. “We’re testing a different version of Premium Lite, and some users in Australia, Germany, and Thailand may see the option to sign up,” they stated. It is still not clear how this version will differ and whether it will eventually be available in the United States.
The screenshots indicated that this time, unlike the initial launch, Premium Lite will not offer a completely ad-free experience and will include “limited ads” instead. Originally, the Lite tier’s primary appeal was its ad-free experience since it lacked other features such as offline downloads, background play, and YouTube Music Premium available in the standard Premium subscription. It is disappointing for consumers who specifically sought an ad-free experience.
With recent changes to adblocker tools, particularly uBlock Origin, understanding the details of Premium Lite has become more critical. The Verge reported a phaseout of the adblocker as Google Chrome has begun disabling the extension, confirmed by uBlock Origin developer Raymond Hill’s shared tweet indicating its lack of support.
Google’s efforts against adblockers have been ongoing. Recently, it introduced a new strategy that skips videos to the end when watched with an adblocker and tested prolonged, non-skippable loading screens to dissuade the use of such extensions. Despite these measures, adblockers have typically been able to quickly adapt to Google’s strategies. The discontinuation of support for uBlock Origin, combined with the introduction of a more affordable tier offering an ad-free or limited ads experience, suggests Google seeks a permanent resolution to its longstanding contest with adblockers, aiming to eliminate tactics that don’t generate revenue, while offering alternative solutions to attract user subscriptions.
