YouTube Premium Lite could be a game-changer, if only I could sign up for it

Let’s face it, nobody likes ads. Whether it’s commercials on TV, ads before YouTube videos, or those full-page ones that cover up entire web pages, nobody likes to look at them. YouTube Premium has been a great way to get around them if you aren’t a fan of using an ad-blocker. For somebody who watches a lot of YouTube on my tablet or TV, ad blockers weren’t an option for me anyway, so a monthly fee was the path of least resistance.

However, I thought Premium cost a bit too much for what it offered, considering I don’t use YouTube Music or download videos very often. In fact, I haven’t ever downloaded a YouTube video, at least on purpose, and I can’t think of a time when I ever would’ve wanted to do that. I remember one time on a flight I downloaded a season of a TV show on my tablet, but I ended up watching something on the plane’s screen instead.

I argued that a lower price could be what ultimately saves YouTube Premium for me, and either Google heard me or something was in the works for a while. Premium Lite was announced several weeks ago, and I couldn’t wait to sign up and test it. In an ideal world, I would have been signed up for weeks now, and I would’ve been enjoying nearly ad-free viewing for less than $10 a month. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to sign up, and I have no clue when Google plans to open things up for me and others who want to sign up for the service. Despite being announced, Premium Lite has only seen a limited rollout, and it’s not available for my account just yet for some reason. And unfortunately, communication about who can sign up for this service has basically been non-existent

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I can never go back to watching YouTube with ads again.

I want to sign up for YouTube Premium Lite, but I can’t

Take my money Google

As much as I don’t like it, I have many monthly subscriptions that I’m struggling to cut back on. While I’ve largely been trying to stay subscribed to one streaming service a month, aside from bundles that are too good to pass up, I use YouTube daily and would be willing to break that rule for YouTube Premium Lite. The regular YouTube Premium subscription costs about as much as a streaming service, so I just don’t see the value there, but Lite cuts the price way down.

On March 5, Google came out with a blog post announcing the service. The post said Lite would start rolling out in the coming weeks, but now that we’re nearly a month past the initial announcement, I don’t see anything in sight. That’s a bummer for me because I think it’d be a major game-changer, and I can only see it increasing the amount of hours I spend on YouTube. The lower price cuts out YouTube Music, background playing, and downloaded videos, and that’s good news for me since I don’t need any of that with my subscription. Premium Lite cuts the service down to the simple goal of minimizing ads, but not eliminating them entirely.

The main thing I want is ad-free viewing on my TV and tablet, and that’s what this can offer. With streaming services only increasing in price, it’s nice to see Google offer something for cheaper that still keeps the meat of the subscription. I imagine there are many people in the same boat as me looking to have ad-free viewing without any of the extra incentives. Unfortunately, I can’t sign up for it yet, but once the service finally rolls out, I’ll be among the first in line.

It’s bizarre to me that there hasn’t been more communication from Google about when this service is rolling out worldwide. The blog post says it’s out in Thailand, Germany, and Australia, but I thought we’d be seeing it in more places by this point. It’s difficult to gauge just how worthwhile Premium Lite is without trying it, but I still feel like there’s a lot to like here. I just hope it gets here sooner rather than later. With Google’s communication so far, I have my doubts.

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I wish more services offered value like this

Let me be in control

Services like Netflix have started to make it far more appealing to opt for ad-supported tiers to save money, and while I don’t personally use these tiers, it’s nice that Netflix did it. When you’re looking to save money, I wish more companies took notes and offered varying tiers. For example, somebody who doesn’t need the best of the best picture quality won’t benefit by subscribing to the highest tier of Max that gives Dolby Vision. The same thing goes for YouTube Premium if you don’t have any intention of using YouTube Music.

A lot of services add to their monthly fee by slipping in perceived value, even if it’s not something you use often. I don’t find myself in a situation where I don’t have internet very often, and I have no monthly data cap, so I don’t benefit at all from being able to download YouTube videos. That’s a situation where the price gets driven up for something I don’t even use, and it’s nice to have the option to omit it and save cash.

Since I haven’t had the chance to test it yet, I don’t know what Premium Lite means exactly by most videos being ad-free, but at nearly half the price as regular Premium, I’ll put up with whatever it means. The blog post mentions I could still run into ads in front of music content or Shorts. Luckily, I don’t plan on using YouTube for either of those things, so it’s another net positive for me. If you want to have more value packed into your subscription, the old YouTube Premium plan isn’t going anywhere. More plans for everybody is good news in my book, and I’m glad that’s how things are shaking out. I know not everybody is in the same situation as me, and that’s why it’s important to continue offering different things for different people.

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