YouTube pilots two-person Premium plan to boost its subscription push
YouTube is piloting a two-person Premium plan in India and select regions to offer users a more affordable subscription option. Priced at ₹219/month in India, the plan targets couples or cohabitants and supports YouTube’s broader push to grow subscription revenue. YouTube is testing a new subscription tier that allows users in Taiwan, Hong Kong, France, and India to share their Premium or Music Premium membership with a household member. This action coincides with the Google-owned video platform’s increasing emphasis on subscriptions as a possible source of revenue as part of its strategy to expand beyond advertising. The YouTube Music Premium subscription tier is accessible for Rs 149 per month during the pilot. In contrast, the two-person YouTube Premium subscription tier is being provided in India for Rs 219 per month. Participants must be in the same Google family group, have a Google account, and be at least 13 years old. The Cyber Shark verifies this development from YouTube. In an announcement, a YouTube representative stated, “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.” In addition to the ability to save videos for offline playing and play them in the background, YouTube Premium offers its customers an ad-free experience. Additionally, it gives them early access to certain of the platform’s experimental features. Similar capabilities are available with Music Premium, but just for music content. Monthly rates for YouTube Premium in India start at Rs 89 for students, Rs 149 for individuals, and Rs 299 for families. Students’ Music Premium plans start at Rs 59, individuals’ plans at Rs 119, and families’ plans at Rs 179. Couples, roommates, or any two people living together who want to lower subscription expenses while keeping separate accounts will probably find the two-member plan useful. Spotify, a massive music streaming service, also provides its users with a comparable package called Duo. Google has increased the cost of its premium subscription in numerous areas and launched a global campaign against ad blockers as part of its efforts to boost YouTube’s subscription income in recent years. Depending on the tier, price increases in India in August 2024 ranged from 12% to 58%. “A significant portion of YouTube’s revenue comes from subscriptions. During the business’s April 2025 earnings call, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, stated, “We are continuing to expand our subscription options. We recently expanded our Premium Lite pilot to the US, giving users a new way to enjoy most videos on YouTube ad-free.” Viewers will be able to watch ad-free videos in a variety of genres, including learning, comedy, gaming, and culinary, with Premium Lite. However, they will see advertisements for shorts, music videos, and music content. Additionally, customers won’t be able to download videos for offline viewing or play them in the background. In addition to the US, the plan is presently offered in Thailand, Germany, and Australia. YouTube reported in March that it has more than 125 million subscribers worldwide across its Music and Premium services. During the April earnings call, Pichai stated that YouTube and Google One were the main factors behind Alphabet’s overall success in surpassing 270 million paid memberships. Google usually only provides the platform’s advertising sales numbers each quarter, not the total amount of money made by YouTube. But in October 2024, Pichai said that for the first time in the previous four quarters, YouTube’s total revenue had topped $50 billion.
