YouTube brings 'Premium Lite' with reduced pricing, no background play

YouTube has introduced a YouTube Premium Lite subscription in the US only for now. The Lite version is a cheaper subscription, priced at $7.99/month (~₹700/month), compared to the regular YouTube Premium which is priced at $13.99/month (~₹1,200/month).

YouTube Premium Lite now becomes the most affordable way to watch videos on YouTube without any ads. However, it comes with certain limitations. The Lite subscription does not come with YouTube Music bundled in, which means that those purchasing this tier will not be able to stream music ad-free. Another limitation is there is no background play supported on the Lite subscription, so you won't be able to lock your screen or close the YouTube app while watching videos or listening to music. Moreover, downloading content for offline consumption is also not supported on Premium Lite.

While the Lite tier allows for ad-free videos, YouTube does note that "most videos" will be ad-free, and users could still get ads while watching YouTube Shorts and music content.

The YouTube Premium Lite plan is currently only live in the US, and YouTube says it plans to bring this plan to "additional countries this year."

YouTube Premium in India

For Indian subscribers, YouTube Premium is available at a starting price of ₹149/month, with additional customisations and discounts for students and family plans.