A cheaper YouTube Premium ‘Duo’ plan is being tested in some regions

YouTube Premium has steadily evolved its subscription offerings over the years, moving beyond the standard individual plan to include options for families and students. Now, it appears Google is experimenting with another tier designed to bridge the gap between individual and full family plans. A new YouTube Premium option specifically for two users has started appearing in a handful of countries.

Spotted by MoneyControl (via 9to5 Google), this new two-person plan is currently being tested in India, France, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. While availability is limited for now, successful testing could lead to a broader roll-out, offering a more tailored solution for couples or roomates living together. With this new Premium subscription, the clear and obvious benefit is the ability to access the full suite of YouTube Premium perks – ad-free viewing, background playback, downloads, and YouTube Music Premium – for two separate accounts under one bill, at a lower price point than the standard five-person family plan.

In India, this two-person plan is priced at Rs 219 per month, compared to Rs 299 for the existing family plan. While direct currency conversions aren’t always accurate predictors, this suggests a potential US price point could land somewhere around the $16/month mark if and when it arrives stateside. This would still represent a saving compared to two individual Premium subscriptions, which currently cost $13.99 each in the US.

It’s important to note that this isn’t related to the ‘Premium Lite’ tier that Google introduced previously. Premium Lite offers ad-free YouTube viewing but omits YouTube Music Premium and other features like downloads. This new two-person plan, however, appears to be the full Premium experience, just tailored for a smaller household. There’s currently no indication that Google plans to introduce multi-user options for the stripped-down Premium Lite service.

This move fits into Google’s wider strategy of refining its subscription services and adapting to changing viewing habits. With more users consuming YouTube content on TVs, positioning Premium as a more versatile, streaming-service-like offering makes sense. Providing different tiers, including this new two-person option, allows users to select a plan that better fits their specific needs and budget.

As for when users in other regions, like the US or UK, might see this plan become available, there’s no official word yet. Given that features like Premium Lite remained in testing phases for extended periods before wider roll-outs, we might be waiting a while for this ‘Duo’ plan to expand beyond its initial test markets. Still, it’s a welcome sign that Google is exploring more flexible options for its Premium subscribers.