Google is already making YouTube Premium Lite worse

Abstract

YouTube is including extra advertisements to Premium Lite, particularly focusing on YouTube Shorts.
Premium Lite supplies fewer advertisements at $8 a month however lacks different Premium options, like background play.
YouTube Premium Lite continues to be largely ad-free, however how for much longer will that final? It looks like Premium Lite is just too good to be true.

YouTube Premium Lite solely launched within the US two months in the past, however Google is already making adjustments to its extra inexpensive YouTube Premium different.

YouTube has begun to e-mail Premium Lite clients to tell them that extra advertisements will quickly be showing on YouTube for them (through Neowin). Proper now, YouTube Premium Lite affords an ad-free expertise on “most movies,” with the first exception being music movies. On the finish of June, that can reportedly be modified to additionally now embody YouTube Shorts. Here is the e-mail YouTube despatched out:

“Thanks for being a Premium Lite member. Premium Lite affords fewer interruptions so you’ll be able to watch extra of the YouTube you like,” YouTube stated in its e-mail to Premium Lite subscribers (through the TWiT.community forum). “We’re writing to let you realize that starting 30 June 2025, advertisements could seem on Shorts, along with music content material and once you search or browse. Most movies will proceed to stay ad-free.”

Free trial: 1-month free trial
Advertisements: Most content material ad-free
Downloads and background play: No

YouTube Premium Lite removes most advertisements from YouTube for $8 a month.

Associated

I tested YouTube Premium Lite to see how many ads it really got rid of

YouTube Premium Lite is right here, and it shocked me.

It was too good to final

Will YouTube Premium Lite worsen over time?

YouTube / Pocket-lint

Whereas YouTube introducing advertisements on Shorts for Premium Lite subscribers is not the worst factor that would’ve presumably occurred, it is nonetheless a bummer for Premium Lite customers who take pleasure in searching Shorts.

…what worries me is that the service is not even six months previous within the US and YouTube is already making adjustments to it.

Should you’re unfamiliar with YouTube Premium Lite, it is a extra inexpensive different to YouTube Premium, which affords fewer advantages. Notably, Premium Lite does not embody background play, offline downloads, or YouTube Music. Primarily, all YouTube Premium Lite does is decrease the quantity of advertisements customers expertise. Should you do not watch music content material on YouTube or Shorts, for essentially the most half, you will not expertise any advertisements with Premium Lite. This makes it a strong different for customers who do not look after any of the additional options Premium affords, and are simply eager about seeing fewer advertisements.

Even with the adjustments being made, Google nonetheless says that “most movies will stay ad-free,” which continues to be the case. However what worries me is that the service is not even six months previous within the US and YouTube is already making adjustments to it. It nearly looks like its preliminary providing was too good to be true.

…I concern YouTube will not give you the chance to withstand the urge so as to add extra advertisements to Premium Lite sooner or later.

YouTube Premium Lite presently prices $8 a month within the US and YouTube Premium prices $14 a month, so it does supply fairly good worth in the event you’re seeking to free your self from the ad-infestation that YouTube has grow to be over the previous a number of years. Nevertheless, my largest concern is that that is simply the beginning of the adjustments YouTube will make to Premium Lite over time, to entice extra individuals to go together with its dearer Premium tier as a substitute.

I hope I am flawed, and this variation to Premium Lite is only a easy course correction being finished by YouTube, and that Premium Lite will stay the best way it’s now for the foreseeable future. However I concern YouTube will not give you the chance to withstand the urge so as to add extra advertisements to Premium Lite sooner or later, to make it much less of an ad-free tier, and extra of a restricted advertisements tier.

YouTube Premium Lite is presently obtainable within the US, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, the UK, Australia, Germany, and Thailand. Advertisements will start showing on Shorts for YouTube Premium Lite subscribers on June 30, 2025.