YouTube has spent two years piloting premium lite, a lower-priced subscription program for ad-free video watching in select countries, and is pulling the plug on the tier. YouTube's premium lite plan, which is available at €6.99 per month, was launched in select European nations in 2021, including Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. It provides free access to YouTube's wide variety of apps and formats but does not come with Premium's other features like offline downloads, background playback, or any YouTube Music benefits.
While it may have been a relatively unknown service to many of us living in the United States and other regions that never had access to it, based on initial reactions to its discontinuation, it seems to be the Goldilocks 'just right' level for those who want to skip ads but don't have any interest in paying more for YouTube Music or downloading videos for offline viewing.