YouTube has announced the discontinuation of its ad-free Premium Lite service, informing customers through notifications. Premium Lite, a more affordable subscription plan available in certain European countries, offers an ad-free experience with limited features compared to the full YouTube Premium service. The Verge initially reported the news, which was later confirmed by Cord Cutters News.
Unlike the comprehensive YouTube Premium service, Premium Lite solely provides an ad-free viewing experience and does not include background playback or offline viewing capabilities. As a result, subscribers of Premium Lite now have the option to upgrade to the full-priced YouTube Premium service if they wish to retain a commercial-free experience.
YouTube has been taking steps to discourage the use of ad-blockers and encourage users to migrate to the YouTube Premium service. In a move toward this goal, the video platform had trialed a blocking system in July, preventing video playback until the ad-blocker was disabled. Recent discussions circulating on Reddit suggest the implementation of further measures to combat ad-blocker usage. It is worth mentioning that Google, the parent company of YouTube, earned $7.6 billion in ad revenues at the close of the second quarter of 2023. To amplify viewership of ads, YouTube has tested a smaller “Skip Ads” button, longer ad breaks, and 30-second un-skippable ads.
With the discontinuation of Premium Lite, YouTube aims to encourage customers seeking an ad-free experience to opt for the full YouTube Premium service instead. Cord Cutters News has reached out to YouTube for comments and will update their report with any new information that arises.
