Under the decision, Google will introduce YouTube Premium Lite, a video-only subscription that includes advertisement removal, background playback and offline viewing services (Image courtesy of Shutterstock/CCL)
SEOUL, Nov. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — Google will roll out a lower-priced version of YouTube Premium in South Korea that excludes its music-streaming service, the country’s antitrust regulator said Thursday, following a months-long probe into whether the company’s subscription bundling violated fair-trade rules.
The launch is part of a corrective plan Google submitted under a consent-decision process with the Fair Trade Commission. Regulators had been examining whether requiring users to purchase YouTube Music together with YouTube Premium restricted consumer choice and constituted an abuse of market dominance.
Under the agreement, Google will introduce YouTube Premium Lite — a video-only subscription that removes ads and offers background play and offline viewing. The plan will cost 8,500 won (US$5.80) per month for Android and web users and 10,900 won for iOS users. Existing Premium and Music Premium plans will remain available. Standard Premium currently costs 14,900 won, while YouTube Music runs 11,990 won.
The new tier, already offered in 19 countries, will debut in Korea at its lowest relative price globally, the FTC said. Pricing must remain in place for at least a year and continue to sit below major international markets for up to four years.
Google must launch the Lite plan within 90 days of receiving formal approval.
The FTC last year issued a report equivalent to a prosecutorial referral, accusing Google Korea of tying YouTube Music to its Premium plan in a way that pushed users into paying for services they didn’t necessarily want. Regulators argued the practice limited consumer choice and entrenched Google’s dominance in streaming.
Rather than contesting the charges through litigation, Google opted for a consent decision — a mechanism that pauses an investigation if a company voluntarily submits remedies deemed sufficient to address the FTC’s concerns.
Some critics say the process may allow major platforms to sidestep a legal determination of wrongdoing. The FTC defended its approach, noting that consent decisions are widely used in other jurisdictions as a faster path to restore competitive market conditions.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
