YouTube Premium Lite adds downloads and background play
YouTube is enhancing its Premium Lite subscription with offline video downloads and background playback capabilities. Priced at $7.99 per month, this tier previously lacked these features, which were exclusive to the full Premium plan costing $13.99 monthly. The update follows user feedback requesting these additions to make the service more competitive. Premium Lite removes ads from most videos but excludes music content and does not include the YouTube Music app.
Launched in March of last year, the Lite tier initially operated as a pilot program in Thailand, Germany, and Australia. It subsequently expanded to the United States and is now available in Canada, Brazil, the United Kingdom, India, Mexico, and various regions across Europe and Asia. The service provides ad-free viewing on general content categories such as gaming, fashion, beauty, cooking, and news. However, advertisements remain present on music videos and music content. Subscribers to the Lite plan also do not have access to the ad-free YouTube Music application. With the integration of offline downloads and background play, the primary remaining incentive to upgrade to the full Premium subscription is access to ad-free music content and the dedicated music app.
YouTube’s parent company, Alphabet, reported significant financial performance for the platform. In 2025, YouTube’s combined advertising and subscription revenue reached $60 billion. During the fourth quarter, advertising revenue increased by 9% to $11.38 billion. Revenue for the “subscriptions, platforms and devices” group rose 17% to $13.6 billion in the same quarter, driven by strong growth in YouTube Music and YouTube Premium subscriptions. An Alphabet representative stated, “The company also reported that YouTube’s ad revenue increased 9% to $11.38 billion in the fourth quarter.” Furthermore, the company noted, “Meanwhile, the ‘subscriptions, platforms and devices’ group’s revenue increased 17% to $13.6 billion in Q4, which the company attributed to strong growth in YouTube subscriptions, particularly YouTube Music and YouTube Premium.”
Global subscriber metrics reflect this upward trajectory. As of March 2025, Alphabet reported over 125 million users for YouTube Music and YouTube Premium combined. The company updated its broader subscription figures during its Q4 earnings call, revealing more than 325 million paid subscriptions across all consumer services. This total includes YouTube Premium and other services such as Google One. While an updated count for the specific YouTube music and premium subscriber base was not provided during the earnings call, the total paid subscription figure indicates continued expansion across the company’s ecosystem.