YouTube is set to expand its low-cost “Premium Lite” subscription tier to users across India, the Google-owned video platform announced on September 29. Priced at Rs 89 per month, Premium Lite aims to offer an ad-free viewing experience for popular video categories, including gaming, comedy, cooking, and educational content, while keeping music content, music videos, and Shorts ad-supported. Unlike standard YouTube Premium, subscribers of this tier will not be able to play videos in the background or download them for offline viewing.
The introduction of Premium Lite is part of YouTube’s broader strategy to grow its subscriber base in India, a market with rapidly increasing internet penetration and rising demand for digital content. The subscription tier, which was first piloted in markets such as the United States earlier this year, will be rolled out nationwide in the coming weeks.
This launch follows other recent subscription experiments by YouTube in India and abroad. In May, the platform piloted a two-person Premium subscription allowing members to share their Premium or Music Premium benefits with another household member. The shared Premium plan is priced at Rs 219 per month in India, while the shared Music Premium costs Rs 149 during the pilot phase. Standard YouTube Premium subscriptions in the country start at Rs 89 for students, Rs 149 for individuals, and Rs 299 for families, while Music Premium plans are priced at Rs 59 for students, Rs 119 for individuals, and Rs 179 for families. In August 2024, YouTube raised prices across all subscription tiers by 12 to 58 percent.
Globally, YouTube has seen strong growth in its subscription offerings. As of March, the platform reported crossing 125 million subscribers across Music and Premium services, contributing to Alphabet’s total paid subscriptions of over 270 million. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai noted that YouTube and Google One have been key drivers of this growth. While the company does not break down YouTube’s revenue each quarter, it revealed in October 2024 that the platform’s revenue exceeded $50 billion over the preceding four quarters, highlighting the increasing importance of subscriptions alongside advertising revenue.
With the launch of Premium Lite, YouTube is providing an accessible entry point for viewers who want an ad-free experience without committing to the full benefits of Premium. The move underscores the platform’s effort to diversify its offerings and capture a broader audience in India, where subscription-based digital services are rapidly gaining traction.
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