YouTube Premium Lite rolls out again to more countries
YouTube’s more affordable, unbundled alternative to Premium is being expanded to more countries.
YouTube is expanding its lower-cost Premium Lite subscription to more countries, as part of the next step in a fairly bumpy roll-out. The countries that can now access this plan include Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Canada and Great Britain (note – this is different to the UK, so Northern Ireland is not included). This move comes after the service launched earlier in the year in the US, and then Germany, Australia and Thailand.
The appeal of Premium Lite is that it’s a more affordable way for users to enjoy YouTube without seeing adverts. Unlike the full YouTube Premium subscription, Lite does not include background play, offline downloads, or access to YouTube Music. Instead, it focuses purely on removing ads from “most” videos on YouTube and YouTube Kids.
At £7.99/month in Great Britain, it’s a more affordable option for those who don’t need the full suite of Premium features. In Google’s own words: “We’re happy to share that we’re expanding Premium Lite to viewers in Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Canada and Great Britain next! We’re slowly rolling this out over the next couple days, so hold tight.”
The journey of Premium Lite has not been an altogether smooth one. Back in 2021, YouTube began testing Premium Lite in select countries, but the plan was axed in 2023 – a decision that angered many users. Skip forward a year to October 2024 and Premium Lite began appearing in beta for some users in Europe. With the price of Premium subscriptions rising, this was a welcome return, but one that has left many in other territories eager for the service to roll out further.
As of April this year, YouTube Premium Lite was made available in the US, and then also Germany, Australia and Thailand. Recently, Google made plans to launch Premium Lite in South Korea as part of the resolution of an antitrust investigation against the company by the FTC.
Bringing it back to the present day, YouTube Premium Lite is, as of last week, rolling out to new countries. For fans, this means the option to consume ad-free content on YouTube at a lower cost, as long as you’re happy with limited features and putting up with ads still on YouTube Music.
If you’re waiting to be able to use YouTube Premium Lite but are unsure if it’s available to you yet, Google recommends checking youtube.com/premiumlite to find out if it is.