What you need to know
- YouTube Premium Lite is a cheaper alternative to Premium for some regions.
- It launched in 2021 in European countries but is reportedly getting axed.
- Unfortunately, YouTube Premium Lite Users cannot use the service after October 25, 2023.
YouTube Premium Lite has been a cheaper alternative to the streaming platform's original Premium subscription in certain European regions. It launched in 2021 and is likely to see the end of the day by next month.
YouTube has reportedly been sending emails (via The Verge) to its Premium Lite subscribers about pulling the plug on the low-cost tier service. The email notes that the service won't be functional after October 25, 2023.
It means these users will be left with the choice between watching YouTube with ads or going for a high-priced Premium subscription, which is €11.99 per month. For comparison, the Premium Lite plan launched two years ago for just €6.99 per month.
The low-cost tier, however, only offered ad-free YouTube without the ability to offline downloads, background playback, and access to YouTube Music, as the original Premium tier does. For very limited users, Premium Lite has offered a watered-down ad-free YouTube for subscribers that did not need the extra perks.
Also, the Lite service has only been offered in select regions since the launch, including Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.
Existing Premium Lite users will be offered a one-month free trial of YouTube Premium for those interested in shifting to high-tier service, which recently saw a price hike in the U.S. The offer is believed to be applicable for Premium Lite users irrespective of whether they subscribed to YouTube Premium free trial before.
"We're writing to let you know that after 25 October 2023, we will no longer be offering your version of Premium Lite," YouTube mentioned in the email, according to The Verge.
"While we understand that this may be disappointing news, we continue to work on different versions of Premium Lite as we incorporate feedback from our users, creators and partners."
That seemingly leaves the possibility open for a comeback, but for now, there's no word on if or when that will happen.
