YouTube has quietly rolled out a pilot program that enables two individuals to share a Premium subscription plan. The streaming large is testing the waters in India, France, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
YouTube confirmed to Moneycontrol that it’s testing a brand new “two-person” subscription tier focusing on {couples}, roommates, or any two people in a single family.
“We’re experimenting with new methods to supply higher flexibility and worth to our YouTube Premium subscribers, together with providing a two-person Premium plan choice, permitting two individuals to share a subscription at a lowered,” a YouTube spokesperson advised Moneycontrol, which first reported the take a look at.
The transfer mirrors competitor Spotify‘s Duo providing and marks YouTube’s newest effort to transform extra customers to paying clients.
Spotify launched its Duo subscription tier within the US and 54 different markets in July 2020. The Duo tier was launched at $12.99 per 30 days within the US and £12.99 per 30 days within the UK on the time.
In June 2024, Spotify raised the value of Premium Duo to $16.99 per 30 days within the US after beforehand climbing costs in July 2023.
“We’re experimenting with new methods to supply higher flexibility and worth to our YouTube Premium subscribers, together with providing a two-person Premium plan choice, permitting two individuals to share a subscription at a lowered.”
YouTube Spokesperson
Now, Moneycontrol studies that the two-person YouTube Premium tier will price 219 rupees ($2.60) per 30 days in India, positioned between the person tier at 149 rupees ($1.77) and the household plan at 299 rupees ($3.54). The Spotify Duo-like Music Premium choice will reportedly price 149 rupees, and individuals should belong to the identical Google household group and be not less than 13 years outdated.
The reported take a look at comes as YouTube pursues subscription development by means of a number of channels. Google’s video platform just lately expanded its Premium Lite pilot — which presents ad-free viewing with out background play or downloads — to the US market after preliminary testing in Australia, Germany, and Thailand.
The lower-priced Premium Lite tier comes with a month-to-month subscription charge within the US of $7.99, in comparison with $13.99 for a full Premium subscription and $10.99 for YouTube Music Premium.
Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai stated on a latest earnings name that “subscriptions at the moment are a giant a part of the enterprise.”
“We proceed to diversify subscription choices, just lately increasing our Premium Lite pilot to the US, giving customers a brand new option to get pleasure from most movies on YouTube ad-free.”
In March, YouTube revealed that its Premium and Music Premium companies now have 125 million paying subscribers, a rise of 25 million over the prior 12 months.
YouTube’s subscription initiatives come as Google faces a September 2025 trial to find out potential treatments for its alleged digital promoting monopoly.
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