YouTube shuts down ad-free plan Premium Lite in these countries

Google is shutting down YouTube Premium Lite, its most affordable and ad-free plan for video-viewing. The plan is shutting down its ad-free subscription plan Premium Lite in select European countries starting October 25, 2023. The company announced the news in an email to customers.

YouTube Premium Lite was launched in 2021 as a low-cost subscription plan that offered ad-free viewing across all YouTube apps and formats. However, it didn’t come with Premium’s other features like offline downloads, background playback, or any YouTube Music benefits.

The plan was only available in a handful of European countries, including Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.

In its email to customers, YouTube said that it will no longer be offering Premium Lite adding that it will continue to work on different versions of Premium Lite based on feedback from users, creators and partners.

It’s unclear why YouTube is shutting down Premium Lite, but it’s possible that the plan wasn’t as popular as the company had hoped. It’s also possible that YouTube is looking to simplify its subscription offerings and make it easier for users to choose the right plan for their needs.