YouTube tests cheaper Premium tier for two users

YouTube has begun testing a new two-person Premium subscription tier in select markets, offering users a more affordable option between individual and family plans. The pilot program launched on May 5, 2025, just six days ago, allowing two household members to access premium features at a reduced cost compared to purchasing separate individual subscriptions.

According to documents from 9to5Google, the new tier is currently being tested in four regions: India, France, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. The offering targets couples, roommates, and small households seeking premium features without paying for the full five-person family plan. This strategic pricing approach potentially fills a significant gap in the subscription market that competitors like Spotify have already addressed with their Duo plan.

The video streaming giant has positioned this new tier as part of its broader strategy to diversify revenue beyond traditional advertising. In India, the two-person YouTube Premium subscription is priced at Rs 219 per month, while the two-person YouTube Music Premium subscription costs Rs 149 monthly. For comparison, individual YouTube Premium subscriptions in India cost Rs 149, while the family plan is priced at Rs 299, according to MoneyControl.

Both members must be at least 13 years old, possess a Google account, and belong to the same Google family group to qualify for the new subscription tier. This approach maintains YouTube's existing user architecture while creating a more tailored offering.

YouTube Premium provides subscribers with several key benefits that enhance the viewing experience across devices. These include ad-free viewing on all content categories, background playback functionality allowing videos to continue playing when users navigate away from the app, and offline download capabilities for viewing without an internet connection. Premium subscribers also gain early access to experimental features being developed for the platform.

The Music Premium variant offers similar functionality but specifically for music content, presenting a more focused option for those primarily interested in YouTube's extensive music library rather than its broader video ecosystem.

This latest subscription tier arrives during a period of significant price adjustments across YouTube's premium offerings. In August 2024, the company implemented price increases ranging from 12 percent to 58 percent in the Indian market, depending on the specific subscription tier. Similar price hikes occurred globally, with countries like Switzerland seeing individual plan increases of 12.6 percent and family plan increases of 41.8 percent, while Swedish subscribers experienced even larger jumps of 25.2 percent for individual plans and a substantial 55.9 percent for family plans.

"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 YouTube spokesperson confirmed to MoneyControl in a statement released on May 5.

These subscription diversification efforts come as YouTube approaches significant subscriber milestones. In March 2025, the platform announced surpassing 125 million subscribers globally across its Music and Premium services. The number contributes to Alphabet's broader subscription portfolio, which has now exceeded 270 million paid subscriptions across all services, with YouTube and Google One identified as primary growth drivers.

While exact revenue figures for YouTube's subscription business remain undisclosed in quarterly financial reports, Pichai revealed in October 2024 that YouTube's total revenue surpassed $50 billion for the first time over the previous four quarters, combining both advertising and subscription income streams.

The timing of this two-person plan aligns with evolving consumer behaviors in digital content consumption. As viewing habits increasingly shift toward televisions and away from mobile devices, YouTube has been positioning itself more directly as a streaming service competitor. According to 9to5Google, "More users are watching on TVs as opposed to mobile devices, and the company is already looking at becoming more of a streaming service."

For marketing professionals, YouTube's subscription tier diversification signals important shifts in monetization strategy across digital platforms. The company's methodical approach to testing price sensitivity in specific markets before global rollouts provides valuable insights into consumer willingness to pay across different economic environments. This segmentation strategy demonstrates how platforms can maximize revenue by catering to different household configurations and budget constraints.

The move appears to follow the successful blueprint established by Spotify's Premium Duo plan, which has been offering a similar two-person subscription option in many markets since its introduction. However, YouTube's approach differs in several notable ways. While Spotify Duo specifically requires both users to verify they live at the same physical address, YouTube's two-person plan seems more flexible, only requiring users to be part of the same Google family group without explicit address verification.

Additionally, YouTube's implementation focuses solely on the core Premium benefits, whereas Spotify enhances their Duo offering with additional perks like 12 hours of audiobook listening time per month, though this benefit is limited to only the primary account holder. Both services emphasize the importance of maintaining separate accounts with personalized recommendation algorithms and user experiences, recognizing that even closely connected users have distinct content preferences.

The introduction of intermediate pricing tiers also reflects growing recognition of diverse household structures beyond traditional family units. The two-person plan acknowledges the reality of couples, roommates, and smaller households that previously had to choose between paying for multiple individual accounts or underutilizing larger family plans.

Additionally, YouTube's focus on subscription growth amidst recent advertising challenges illustrates the platform's commitment to developing more predictable, recession-resistant revenue streams. For marketers allocating budget across platforms, these subscription trends indicate potential shifts in audience composition and engagement patterns, with premium subscribers potentially demonstrating different behaviors than ad-supported viewers.

The gradual expansion of YouTube's subscription ecosystem also raises questions about future content differentiation strategies. As the platform invests more heavily in premium subscribers, marketers should monitor whether exclusive content offerings begin to emerge as additional incentives beyond the current ad-free experience and functional enhancements.

There has been no official announcement regarding when or if the two-person option will expand to additional regions. Based on historical precedent, wider implementation could take considerable time. According to 9to5Google, "It might be a while, considering YouTube Premium Lite was in the works for several years."

Timeline

• March 2025: YouTube announces surpassing 125 million Premium and Music Premium subscribers globally
• March 2025: Premium Lite expands to the United States market
• October 2024: Sundar Pichai reveals YouTube's total revenue exceeded $50 billion over four quarters
• September 2024: YouTube implements significant Premium price increases across multiple countries
• August 2024: Premium subscription prices in India increase between 12-58%
• May 5, 2025: Two-person Premium plan pilot launches in India, France, Taiwan, and Hong Kong