It never made all that much sense that YouTube Premium – Google’s ad-less subscription service for the video-sharing platform – only offered customers the service as an individual plan or a six-member Family plan, with nothing in between. That’s set to change soon as Google tests a more affordable ‘duo’ tier aimed at family members and couples.
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There’s no catch, either, other than the increased price. Google’s stipulations include that the two people should have a working Google account, be over 13, and be part of the same Google family group. While the idea is for two folks to share the cost of the subscription under one roof, we see no reason why it couldn’t be shared with someone living elsewhere, as long as they’re under your Google family tree, of course.
YouTube confirmed that it was testing the new two-person tier to Moneycontrol: “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 spokesperson said.
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A ‘duo’ tier for YouTube Premium isn’t a done deal yet. The test is currently confined to select users in India, France, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, where it will set users back Rs 219/m (R47/m). Aside from confirming the new tier’s existence, Google did not mention when global users could expect to see the tier turn up locally.
We’ll hear more about the new duo tier’s local pricing when YouTube rolls it out to the rest of the world, hopefully in the next couple of weeks, but we can safely assume it won’t cost R47/m, particularly considering the recent price hikes that ambushed Premium users in South Africa. What, then? Seeing as the price per-member under the Family plan is R25, we’re expecting YouTube’s duo tier to reach R95-100/m.
