Bottom line: Advertising has long since been a necessary evil on the Internet. As is often the case, however, some content creators go a bit overboard with ad placement. Premium Lite seems like a reasonable compromise - you're still supporting the platform and creators' hard work, but without paying for additional features that you might not even utilize.
YouTube is piloting a more affordable version of its premium subscription service that does away with some of the standard tier's perks.
As first spotted by a ResetEra user, the new Premium Lite option delivers an ad-free YouTube experience in exchange for €6.99 a month (about $8.30). In comparison, YouTube's standard Premium package eliminates ads on YouTube and YouTube Music, and additionally allows for offline downloads and background playback for $11.99 per month.
In a statement issued to The Verge, YouTube confirmed that Premium Lite is being tested in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.
YouTube further confirmed that the new offering is in an experimental phase, and that they are considering a wider rollout based on user feedback.
Would you fork over eight bucks and change per month to remove all ads on YouTube, or are you content with being an ad-supported user? I've personally found myself spending a lot more time watching YouTube compared to more traditional means of video delivery, and would be tempted to pay the monthly fee to drop the ads.