YouTube's New Ad-Free Plan: A Casual Test in Australia and Beyond

YouTube is giving its Premium Lite subscription another shot, but this time, it's slightly different. The company is testing this new version in Australia, Germany, and Thailand. The goal? To make most videos ad-free, though you might still see ads on music videos and Shorts. Plus, there will be non-interruptive ads when you're searching or browsing. Back in 2021, YouTube tried this in Europe, but it didn't stick around for long. The original Premium Lite was pretty basic, missing out on offline and background viewing features found in the full Premium subscription. In Australia, this new test will cost $9 a month, while the full Premium is priced at $17 a month. That's in line with the previous Lite pricing. This isn't the first time YouTube has tweaked its subscription plans. Remember, they once offered a free tier called YouTube Red, which later became YouTube Premium. It's interesting to see how YouTube is playing with different subscription models. Will this new Premium Lite stick around, or will it fade away like its predecessor? Only time will tell.