YouTube Premium raises prices in Malaysia, second hike for family plan just a year after last increase

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 21 — YouTube Premium has raised its subscription prices for Malaysian users, the first such increase for individual subscribers since the service was launched in 2019, but the second in just over a year for those on its family plan.

According to the information posted on the subscription page, YouTube has increased the price of its monthly individual subscription from RM17.90 to RM20.90.

The price of the Student plan has increased to RM12.90 per month, an increase of RM2.00 from the previous price.

The biggest hit is the Family package, which now costs RM40.90. The price was RM26.90 when it was first introduced before it was raised to RM33.90 in May last year. The latest hike means the price of the package has increased by 52 per cent since it was introduced five years ago.

“We don’t make these decisions lightly, but this update will allow us to continue to improve Premium and support the creators and artists you watch on YouTube,” the Google subsidiary said in an email announcing the price increase for subscribers.

YouTube Premium is a subscription offering an ad-free viewing experience on the platform, with YouTube Music included. Subscribers can also play videos and music in the background, as well as download them for offline use.

The increase comes as Google and YouTube begin to step up efforts to block apps and browser extensions that effectively offer YouTube Premium features without a required subscription.