YouTube almost doubled Premium prices in Ukraine

YouTube has sharply increased the price of Premium subscription for users in Ukraine. The individual plan has gone up from 99 to 179 UAH per month, and the family plan from 149 to 299 UAH.

The changes affect all main YouTube Premium subscription options in Ukraine:

• individual - 179 UAH per month instead of 99 UAH;
• family - 299 UAH instead of 149 UAH;
• student - 109 UAH instead of 59 UAH.

Thus, the family subscription has actually doubled in price. The cost of individual and student plans also increased by more than 80%.

YouTube explains that it periodically reviews prices for paid products taking into account market conditions, including inflation and changes in local taxes. The company did not give a separate reason for this particular price increase for Ukraine.

For new users, the new price applies when signing up. YouTube must notify existing subscribers of the increase by email at least 30 days in advance, and the new amount will be charged no earlier than the next appropriate billing cycle.

The price hike comes as YouTube prepares for a global expansion of the cheaper Premium Lite subscription. The company plans to make it available in all countries where regular YouTube Premium operates, which means Ukraine too.

Premium Lite will cost less than full Premium and will allow watching most videos without ads, downloading them and using background play. At the same time, YouTube Music Premium will not be included in the plan, and some advanced features will remain available only to full subscription holders.

Some media link the current price increase to the upcoming launch of Premium Lite, but YouTube has not officially stated such a connection.

Previously, YouTube Premium was one of the relatively cheap international digital services in Ukraine: the base price of 99 UAH per month remained unchanged for several years.

Based on materials from: YouTube, YouTube Help