YouTube Enhances $7.99/Month Lite Subscription with Offline Downloads and Background Play

YouTube is enhancing its $7.99 per month Premium Lite subscription by adding new features such as offline video downloads and background play, even with the screen off or when using other apps. Previously exclusive to the $13.99 full plan, these features were included based on feedback from the pilot program’s users. Launched last March, Premium Lite offers an ad-free experience for most videos but not for music content, nor does it include the ad-free YouTube Music app. With the new features, ad-free music remains the sole incentive to upgrade to the full Premium subscription. Initially available in Thailand, Germany, and Australia, the Lite tier later expanded to the U.S. and other global markets like Canada, Brazil, the U.K., India, Mexico, and more. YouTube’s subscription business has shown growth, with overall revenue reaching $60 billion in 2025, as reported by parent company Alphabet. The company’s Q4 results revealed a 9% increase in YouTube’s ad revenue, totaling $11.38 billion, and a 17% increase in the “subscriptions, platforms, and devices” category, driven by YouTube subscriptions, specifically YouTube Music and YouTube Premium. As of March 2025, Alphabet reported over 125 million users for YouTube Music and YouTube Premium, and more than 325 million paid subscriptions across all consumer services by Q4, including Google One.