Google plans to roll out a more affordable YouTube subscription that excludes music streaming in South Korea, according to The Korean Times. The country’s Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) announced Thursday that the U.S. tech company agreed to introduce the new service after months of scrutiny over whether bundling YouTube Music with YouTube Premium hindered fair competition.
Per The Korean Times, the arrangement comes as part of a corrective proposal Google submitted to the KFTC, which has been examining concerns that the mandatory bundle limited consumer choice. Regulators argued that users who wanted ad-free video streaming were effectively compelled to pay for a music service they might not need.
The new product, known as YouTube Premium Lite, will allow users to watch videos without ads, continue playback in the background and download content for offline viewing, according to The Korean Times. Existing Premium and Music Premium plans will remain in place. Pricing is set at…
