This article was published on August 2, 2021

YouTube Premium Lite could finally convince me to pay for ad-free streaming

The cheaper subscription tier is being piloted in Europe


YouTube Premium Lite could finally convince me to pay for ad-free streaming

I love YouTube, but damn, I hate the ads. Every day, my precious streaming time is rudely interrupted by some snake oil salesman promising to make me a fortune in seconds.

The 2015 launch of YouTube Red (now rebranded as YouTube Premium) offered an escape, but €11.99 per month is a hefty price tag when you’re already strapped for cash.

Six years later, a more affordable alternative has appeared on the horizon: YouTube Premium Lite.

The new service is being piloted in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.

“Nordics and Benelux (except for Iceland), we’re testing a new offering to give users even more choice: Premium Lite costs €6.99/month (or local equivalent per month) and it includes ad-free videos on YouTube,” a YouTube spokesperson told The Verge.

Inevitably, the cheaper tier is missing some features provided with YouTube Premium, such as ad-free YouTube Music, background playback, and offline downloads.

Those losses won’t justify the price of Premium Lite for some users. But for me, paying €6.99 per month to never see another video by the likes of Tai Lopez is an extremely tempting proposition.

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