YouTube Settle Korea Probe With Premium Lite Deal
The platform has also pledged a $22 million industry fund
YouTube has reportedly resolved a lengthy probe by the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) into its bundling practices.
Why it matters:
The KFTC launched an investigation into YouTube in 2024, alleging that bundling its YouTube Premium and Music subscriptions in South Korea was anti-competitive and impacting local music platforms such as Melon.
Premium offers ad-free access to YouTube and Music for only a few dollars more than the standalone Music subscription.
With 90% of the population actively using YouTube, it was claimed the company was using its video-sharing dominance to attract Premium subscribers to the detriment of local music services.
The resolution:
As per Digital Music News, the KFTC has greenlit the rollout of YouTube's Premium Lite tier.
The cheaper subscription excludes YouTube Music and ad-free access to music videos on YouTube itself.
Lite will operate alongside Premium for the time being.
YouTube will also provide $21.89 million to support the South Korean music industry.
👋 Disclosures & Transparency Block
This article was selected by the author based on their judgement that it would be interesting to readers.
