YouTube Expands Premium Lite Subscription to Israel with New Creator Revenue Rules

YouTube is rolling out its Premium Lite subscription tier to all countries where YouTube Premium is available, including Israel. This lower-cost option targets users who want fewer ads but do not want to pay for the full Premium service. Although the rollout is gradual and not yet active for Israeli users, Premium Lite will allow ad-free viewing on most videos, offline downloads, and background play. However, ads may still appear on some content types, especially music videos. Unlike the full Premium subscription, YouTube Music is not included in the Lite plan.

This expansion marks YouTube's first significant change to its partner program since 2018. Alongside Premium Lite's introduction, YouTube is updating revenue-sharing and eligibility criteria for new creators. Starting February 1, 2027, new creators must accumulate either 8,000 valid watch hours within 365 days or 20 million valid Shorts views within 90 days to qualify for ad and subscription revenue. Revenue sharing for Shorts will also be limited to creators with at least 10 million valid views in the past 90 days. Creators who do not meet these thresholds can still earn from long-form content, and eligibility for Shorts revenue will be reinstated once thresholds are met again.

The official price for Premium Lite in Israel has not yet been announced. For comparison, in the U.S., the full Premium subscription costs $15.99 per month, while Premium Lite is $8.99, a 44% discount. Based on this, the Israeli Premium Lite price is estimated around 13.90 shekels compared to 23.90 shekels for full Premium, though this is not confirmed. The Premium Lite expansion will continue gradually across all markets with YouTube Premium service.