YouTube Expands Its Cheaper Paid Subscription to All Countries with Premium

YouTube announced the global expansion of Premium Lite — a cheaper paid subscription option. The plan will become available in all countries where regular YouTube Premium operates. Since Ukraine is among these markets, Premium Lite should also be available for Ukrainian users.

Premium Lite allows watching most videos on YouTube and YouTube Kids without ad interruptions. The plan also includes background playback and the ability to download videos for offline viewing.

However, it is not a complete replacement for YouTube Premium. Ads may remain on music content, Shorts, search results, and while browsing sections of the platform. Background playback and downloading also do not extend to Shorts and most music videos.

Premium Lite does not include YouTube Music Premium. Users of the cheaper plan also won't get a number of additional features of the full subscription, including enhanced audio and video quality, play next in queue, jump ahead to the right part, and cross-device viewing syncing.

YouTube has not yet announced the price of Premium Lite for all new markets. The cost will vary by country and will be displayed on the subscription sign-up page.

How Premium Lite will impact creators' revenue

At the same time, YouTube changes the money allocation system for paid subscriptions. A separate revenue pool will be created for each plan: 30% of net revenue from YouTube Premium and 60% from Premium Lite will be directed to the respective pool.

Funds will be distributed among creators based on watch time and the number of views from subscribers. After distribution, creators will earn 55% of revenue from long-form videos and 45% from Shorts.

YouTube explains the different split by operating and promotional costs of their services, plus payments to music partners. The company expects that expanding Premium Lite will increase the total number of subscribers, bringing additional revenue to creators.

New requirements for Shorts monetization

From February 1, 2027, channels must have at least 10 million qualifying public Shorts views over the prior 90 days to be eligible for ad and subscription revenue from Shorts.

If a channel falls below that metric, it won't be removed from the YouTube Partner Program. The creator will continue to earn on long-form videos, and Shorts monetization will recover upon reaching again the threshold.

For smaller channels, YouTube promises to introduce additional programs: bonuses for using YouTube Shopping, rewards for brand advertising integrations, and top-ups for creators who create and grow new trends.

Joining the Partner program will become more difficult

For new applicants, requirements to earn from ads and Premium will also be raised. You'll need to achieve 8,000 qualifying watch hours over the previous 365 days or 20 million qualifying Shorts views in 90 days.

Channels already in the YouTube Partner Program will not be affected by new entry thresholds. Conditions for fan funding access and Shopping tools will also remain unchanged.

The updated rules will take effect on February 1, 2027. Creators will be able to review and accept the new terms in YouTube Studio.

Based on materials from: YouTube, YouTube Help