YouTube’s Ad-Free Premium Plans Just Got a Cheaper Tier

YouTube announced it’s expanding its Premium subscription plan to viewers in the U.S. The new $8 a month YouTube Premium Lite plan joins the regular $14 a month Premium plan. The subscription plan lets you watch videos on YouTube without advertising for about the monthly cost of other major streaming services.

The new tier is now considered the “entry level” to a YouTube Premium subscription. Premium Lite lets you watch creators without the hassle. That means accessing your favorite independent cooks, comedians, streamers, and, in my case, this woman who lives in Svalbard and makes me think I want to live somewhere the Sun doesn’t appear for four months out of the year. YouTube’s Premium subscription will remain the full-featured offering, which provides YouTube videos that are ad-free, including music videos, as well as downloads and background play. If you’re trying to binge-watch people’s vintage VHS recordings of MTV’s The Real World while on a flight, Premium is the one you’d pay for.

The cheaper plan will be a boon for folks who already pay for music rights elsewhere, like Spotify or Apple Music, and don’t need YouTube and its musical catalogue to set the tone. YouTube’s Premium Plan has been one of the best hacks in the universe, provided the $14 a month doesn’t hurt your budget. And now, there’s an offering under $10/month for those who would rather not endure nasty ads shilling fake news and shock content. Since I started paying for YouTube, I am more inclined to spend time on it, simply because I don’t have to endure the advertising. I just canceled YouTube TV, the company’s cable streaming service, because it shot up to nearly $90/month for the basic tier. I wonder if YouTube will consider experimenting with tiers for its cable offering for those not interested in parting with so much cash for sports they don’t watch.

At least I can watch my middle-of-nowhere snow content without enduring the emotional turmoil of an ad commissioned by the Epoch Times. YouTube Premium Lite is available in the U.S. today. It’s also rolling out to a few international markets, namely Thailand, Germany, and Australia.