Discontinued YouTube Premium Lite could come back in a new form

YouTube is testing a new version of its Premium Lite subscription plan, but it won’t be like it used to be.

Last year, YouTube got rid of its Premium Lite plan entirely, which offered users an ad-free viewing experience but with fewer perks than YouTube Premium. The plan was available in select European countries. While Lite members didn’t get ads, the subscription teir didn’t have access to additional features like downloading videos for offline viewing or background video playback, like the full version YouTube Premium has.

Now, Google is testing a new version of YouTube Premium Lite, which the company confirmed in a statement to Android Authority. Google said it’s begun testing a new version of the subscription service in Australia, Germany, and Thailand.

However, the perks of YouTube Premium Lite have changed. Instead of offering an ad-free experience, YouTube Premium Lite now only offers a “limited ad-supported experience.”

In a statement to The Verge, a YouTube spokesperson said that the company doesn’t have anything else to share about “a broader rollout” of this new version of YouTube Premium Lite.

YouTube’s new Premium Lite doesn’t make sense

So much for an ad-free viewing experience

A screenshot of the modified Premium Lite service posted by Jonah Manzano on X shows the new Premium Lite service is shown to be offered for 11.99 AUD (about $8 USD) a month through the YouTube app on iOS and $8.99 AUD (about $6 USD) on its website.

The screenshot shows how the service offers limited ads for YouTube videos and YouTube Kids videos. Premium Lite, as it did when it was available for the first time, doesn’t offer download and offline play or background play.

As a YouTube Premium subscriber myself, I honestly do not see the point in this new version of YouTube Premium Lite. What’s the point of paying for a YouTube subscription if you still get ads?

YouTube isn’t like Prime Video or Disney+, which both offer ad subscription tiers. I can still watch YouTube without Premium, as with Prime Video or Disney+, you can’t watch it all without a subscription.

I like YouTube’s Premium subscription service. If you’re an avid YouTube watcher like I am, it’s a great service to get an ad-free viewing experience across all your devices. Plus, every time I’m traveling, I always use the download and play offline feature so I can watch on my flight.

This new version of Premium Lite with limited-ads that YouTube is testing doesn’t seem to hit the mark.

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