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Today, YouTube announces the retirement of its popular YouTube Lite tier. If you haven’t heard of it and you’re in the USA, don’t be confused. It was a plan available in limited Eastern European countries. So, don’t feel too bad if you’ve never heard of this up until now.
What is YouTube Lite?
Let’s break down what this plan has offered until now. This plan offers YouTube Premium perks minus YouTube Music and other features. As a result, the plan gained popularity for its ad removal, starting at €8 a month. It was beloved by those with access to the plan.
A common complaint about YouTube Premium is that many would pay solely for ad removal. Thus, the Lite tier provided a wonderful middle ground, offering choice at a reasonable price.
YouTube Premium Lite discontinued
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Reaction to the news
Reddit broke the news as tier users received retirement emails. Universally, confusion and frustration followed. People overwhelmingly advocate for the plan’s retention and expansion to more countries. After all, giving users more options will never be a bad thing.
I agree with the complaints voiced on Reddit and other platforms. Not everyone wants or needs the full-featured YouTube Premium. Some people want to watch specific content, with an ad-free experience while eating dinner. Other people don’t engage with communities and don’t want to be as engrained into the system as others. Not catering for this subset of users is silly. It’s essentially throwing free money away.
I understand the need for YouTube to try and prioritise retention and engagement on the platform. The more time you spend on the platform, the more money you make. However, it would be silly to assume that casual users can simply be converted by forcing their hand.
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