YouTube Beats Korean Bundling Probe, Eyes Premium Lite Launch – Digital Music News

A nighttime shot of Seoul, South Korea. Photo Credit: Yohan Cho YouTube looks to have resolved a bundling-focused investigation in South Korea, where the platform reportedly intends to launch its Premium Lite subscription. Local outlets shed light on the resolution, which will seemingly end a years-long Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) probe. As we reported last month, the investigation centered on YouTube Premium’s music streaming market impact. At present, Premium (offering ad-free access to YouTube proper and Music) is available for $10.87/₩14,900⁠ per month in South Korea, where close to 90% of the population actively uses YouTube. That’s compared to $8.75/₩11,990⁠ per month for Music, and unsurprisingly, many have opted to pay the extra $2 monthly for across-the-board viewing without ads. But according to critics and the KFTC, this model means YouTube’s leveraging its video-sharing dominance at the expense of on-demand streaming platforms. With little incentive for Premium subscribers to utilize different music services, the likes of Melon and more have reportedly suffered material market-share slips in recent years. And it’s safe to say that the competitive landscape is also compelling international players to adapt. Having previously offered only paid plans in South Korea, Spotify embraced an ad-supported tier in
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