YouTube rolls out cheaper subscription tier to U.S. with no ads, except for music
San Francisco: Alphabet's YouTube recently unveiled a new monthly subscription plan priced at $7.99 that offers an ad-free experience for most videos, except for music content.
The "Premium Lite" plan is specifically designed for customers who rarely watch music videos or listen to music, as reported by Reuters. While YouTube has a significant presence in the streaming music industry, many users primarily watch non-music videos and may find this new option more appealing.
YouTube's existing $13.99 Premium plan has no ads, including for music content. Additionally, there is a separate $10.99 plan that offers ad-free music videos and other videos with ads, essentially the reverse of the new plan.
The introduction of the "Premium Lite" plan provides an option for those who don’t use YouTube for music, addressing a gap that has been apparent for some time, particularly among U.S. users who already subscribe to other music streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music, added the news agency.
"We didn't feel that we really got it matching the tier for users that don't need the music content, and so that's where this revision comes in," Jack Greenberg, the product director for YouTube Premium, was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Meanwhile, YouTube announced on Wednesday that it has surpassed 125 million paying subscribers, up from 100 million in January 2024. However, this number includes users who have signed up for temporary free trials as well.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
