- YouTube raises premium subscription prices by 54% in Nigeria and other regions
- Individual plan increases from N1,100 to N1,700, and the family plan rises from N1,700 to N2,800
- YouTube cites the need to improve service, support creators, and enhance Premium features as the reasons for the price hike
YouTube, the popular video streaming platform owned by Google, has increased the cost of its premium subscription plans in Nigeria by up to 54%.
The price for the individual Premium plan, which previously cost N1,100 per month, has now been raised to N1,700.
The family plan saw an even steeper increase, jumping over 64% from N1,700 to N2,800 monthly.
In an email sent to Nigerian subscribers on April 4, 2025, YouTube explained the reason behind the price hike, saying:
“To continue delivering great service and features, we’re increasing your price to N1,700.00/month.
We don’t make these decisions lightly, but this update will allow us to continue to improve YouTube Premium and support the creators and artists you watch on YouTube.”
The new pricing will take effect from each user’s next billing cycle.
Price increase extends beyond Nigeria
Nigeria isn’t the only country seeing a hike in subscription costs.
YouTube also announced new prices for users in South Africa.
Starting mid-year, the individual Premium plan will cost R81.99 per month, while the family plan will go for R149.99.
YouTube Music-only subscribers will now pay R64.99 monthly, up from R59.99.
In the United States, long-time users who have been enjoying a $7.99 monthly rate for YouTube Premium, thanks to their early adoption of Music Key in 2014, are also facing their first price increase in over a decade.
YouTube Premium: What you get
While YouTube remains free for most users, YouTube Premium offers a range of paid features. These include ad-free viewing, background play, and access to YouTube Music.
As of February 2024, YouTube announced it had crossed 100 million paid subscribers across both YouTube Music and YouTube Premium, a notable increase from the 80 million subscribers reported in November 2022.
YouTube Premium has continued to evolve, introducing new features like improved playback across devices, an enhanced 1080p HD experience, and early access to experimental AI-powered tools.
For music lovers, the platform has also rolled out a Samples tab for discovering songs, a personalised radio feature, and podcast support on YouTube Music.
Originally launched as YouTube Red in 2015 for $9.99 per month, the service was rebranded to YouTube Premium in 2018, and has since grown into a major part of YouTube’s revenue model.
Airtel Nigeria partners with Google to integrate YouTube into smart router
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that Airtel Nigeria partnered with Google to integrate YouTube into the Airtel Smart Router, allowing YouTube to work on all television sets across the country, whether they are smart or older analogue models.
Integrating YouTube into Airtel Nigeria’s Smart Router, a device that combines internet connectivity with the ability to transform regular TVs into smart TVs, would allow users access to YouTube directly on their TVs.