YouTube is testing out a Premium plan you can share with one household member
YouTube has launched an experimental Premium plan that would let you and another person in your household share one discounted subscription. First reported by Moneycontrol, the online video platform is currently piloting the test option in India, Taiwan, Hong Kong and France. To be able to opt for the subscription tier, you and your companion have to be 13-years-old and above and have Google accounts that are part of one Google family group.
The plan's pricing will, of course, cost you less than if you're paying for two Premium accounts. In India, the two-person plan costs Rs 219 per month ($2.60), which is less than the Rs 298 ($3.53) you'd pay for two individual plans and the Rs 299 ($3.54) you'd pay for a 5-person Family subscription. YouTube has been pushing for the adoption of its paid Premium plans in recent years by offering perks like enhanced 1080p for full-priced subscriptions and launching a cheaper Premium Lite option with reduced ads. The full-priced, ad-free Premium plan costs at least $14 a month in the US.
To prevent viewers from being able to watch videos ad-free without paying, and to urge them to sign up for Premium subscriptions, YouTube even launched "a global effort" to crack down on ad blockers back in 2023. This experimental plan puts Premium subscriptions within reach for a lot more people, especially those in two-person households who've been hesitating to sign up due to pricing concerns. Obviously, though, it'll be a lot more expensive in the US than in India if it does get a wide release.
"We’re experimenting with new ways to provide greater flexibility and value to our YouTube Premium subscribers, including offering a two-person Premium plan option, allowing two people to share a subscription at a reduced cost," a spokesperson told Moneycontrol and Android Authority.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/youtube/youtube-is-testing-out-a-premium-plan-you-can-share-with-one-household-member-143038942.html?src=rss