YouTube Surpasses 125 Million Subscribers, Launches Premium Lite Tier

YouTube has announced it now boasts 125 million subscribers across its YouTube Music and YouTube Premium services, a significant increase from 100 million just one year prior. Lyor Cohen, YouTube’s Global Head of Music, emphasized the importance of this milestone, stating it is crucial for YouTube's goal to become the top revenue contributor in the music industry. The platform has also introduced a new subscription tier, Premium Lite, priced at $7.99 per month, which allows ad-free viewing of most videos, excluding music content. This tier aims to enhance user choice and has reportedly led to more users upgrading to YouTube Premium than downgrading from it. The growth reflects YouTube's expanding influence in the streaming market, as it seeks to compete with Spotify, which has over 263 million paying subscribers. Cohen noted that YouTube's growth trajectory is set to continue, fueled by its successes in video streaming and the integration of new features.