YouTube pilots new two-person Premium plan to boost subscription
The Google-owned platform is testing a subscription model that allows users to share their Premium or Music Premium membership with one other household member — starting at Rs 149.
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YouTube is piloting a new two-member subscription tier for Premium and Music Premium in select markets, including India, France, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, according to a media report.
This move comes as the video-streaming giant intensifies efforts to boost subscription revenues amid a broader push to diversify beyond advertising.
As part of the pilot program in India, YouTube is offering the two-person Premium plan at Rs 219 per month and the Music Premium plan at Rs 149. Both users must be at least 13 years old, have active Google accounts, and belong to the same Google family group.
"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 the development in the report.
The new tier is positioned between the existing Individual and Family plans, potentially making it ideal for couples, roommates, or any two people in the same household.
YouTube Premium currently offers monthly plans in India at Rs 89 (Student), Rs 149 (Individual), and Rs 299 (Family), while Music Premium plans start at Rs 59 for students and go up to Rs 179 for families.
This two-person plan mirrors Spotify's popular Duo offering, and is part of YouTube's broader push to expand its paid user base. In recent years, YouTube has taken various steps to grow subscription revenue — from cracking down on adblockers to raising Premium prices across several markets, including a price hike in India in August 2024 ranging from 12% to 58%.
Premium Lite, a more affordable plan offering ad-free viewing across most video categories but excluding music, background play, and downloads, is now available in countries like the US, Germany, Thailand, and Australia.
As of March 2025, YouTube has crossed 125 million subscribers globally across its Premium and Music services. Alphabet, overall, reported more than 270 million paid subscriptions across all its products, with YouTube and Google One being major contributors. In October 2024, the company revealed that YouTube’s total revenue had surpassed $50 billion over the trailing four quarters.
