YouTube tests cheaper, ad-free option in Europe

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YouTube tests cheaper, ad-free option in Europe

By:

Matthew Keys

mkeys@thedesk.net

•

August 3, 2021

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(Logo: YouTube/Google, Background image: Pexels, Graphic: The Desk)

Google-backed video service YouTube is testing a cheaper version of its premium plan in some European countries.

The plan, called Premium Lite, allows streamers to watch YouTube videos without advertisement interruptions for €7 a month (about $8.30 a month).

The plan is being tested in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands and Sweden, according to technology news website The Verge.

Premium Lite lacks certain other features found on YouTube’s other subscription plan: There is no offline download perk, no complimentary music streaming via YouTube Music and no background playback of videos. Those features are relegated to the more-expensive YouTube Premium, which costs €12 a month ($14.25 a month).

Currently, there are no plans to test YouTube Premium Lite in the United States, where a premium subscription costs $12 a month with the same added benefits as the plan in Europe.

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About the Author:

Matthew Keys

Matthew Keys is the award-winning founder and editor of TheDesk.net, an authoritative voice on broadcast and streaming TV, media and tech. With over ten years of experience, he's a recognized expert in broadcast, streaming, and digital media, with work featured in publications such as StreamTV Insider and Digital Content Next, and past roles at Thomson Reuters and Disney-ABC Television Group.