YouTube has begun piloting a new subscription tier allowing two users to share a Premium or Music Premium membership, with the trial currently underway in India, France, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, Moneycontrol has reported.
Reportedly, the initiative marks the Google-owned platform’s latest effort to expand its subscription business as it looks to reduce its reliance on advertising revenue.
Under the trial, YouTube is offering the two-person Premium plan in India for ₹219 per month, while the Music Premium equivalent is priced at ₹149 per month, the publication added. To qualify, both subscribers must be at least 13 years old, hold a Google account, and belong to the same Google family group.
Confirming the development, a YouTube spokesperson told Moneycontrol: “We’re exploring new ways to offer more flexibility and value to our Premium members, including testing a two-person Premium option, allowing two people to share a subscription at a lower price.”
Currently in India, individual YouTube Premium plans are priced at ₹149 per month, while student and family plans cost ₹89 and ₹299 respectively. For Music Premium, the monthly rates are ₹59 for students, ₹119 for individuals, and ₹179 for families.
The new plan is expected to appeal to couples, roommates, or any two people sharing a household who wish to save on subscription costs while maintaining separate user profiles. The move mirrors similar offerings by other streaming platforms, including Spotify’s Duo plan.
YouTube has been actively pushing its subscription services, recently increasing prices in India by up to 58 per cent across various tiers in August 2024. The company has also intensified its crackdown on ad blockers worldwide.
“Subscriptions are a key pillar of our business,” Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai noted during the company’s April 2025 earnings call. “We continue to broaden our subscription portfolio, including the recent expansion of our Premium Lite pilot in the US, providing users a new way to watch most YouTube videos without ads.”
Premium Lite, currently available in the United States, Australia, Germany, and Thailand, offers ad-free viewing across categories like gaming, cooking, and education, but excludes music videos, Shorts, and background play.