March 6, 2025 – YouTube has today launched a new subscription service for US users, priced at $7.99 per month, which allows most videos to be played without advertisements, excluding music content.
Dubbed “Premium Lite,” this new offering is tailored for users who infrequently engage with music videos or tunes on the platform. YouTube, despite being a significant player in the streaming music market, acknowledges that a considerable user base barely utilizes its music-related features.
Currently, YouTube’s Premium subscription, priced at 13.99monthly,offersanad−freeexperienceforallcontent,includingmusic.Conversely,a10.99 plan solely eliminates ads from music videos, presenting a contrast to the “Premium Lite” model.
According to reports, YouTube has identified a demand for a subscription model that solely removes video ads, as many users are already subscribed to other music streaming services.
John Harding, YouTube’s Vice President of Engineering, stated that the aim of introducing this new plan is to appeal to a broader audience and encourage them to pay for YouTube’s services.
“YouTube’s previous subscription models didn’t adequately cater to users who don’t require music content,” said Jack Greenberg, Product Director for YouTube Premium. “Hence, we made this adjustment.”
YouTube also announced today that its total paid user base has surpassed 125 million, marking an increase from 100 million in January 2024. This figure includes users currently on a limited-time free trial.
Advertising remains YouTube’s primary source of revenue, contributing 36billiontoAlphabet′stotalrevenueof350 billion last year, while the subscription business is gradually gaining ground.
