YouTube, owned by tech giant Google, has announced a significant price hike for its YouTube Premium service in Nigeria and South Africa, sparking reactions from subscribers. The ad-free streaming service now costs ₦1,700 per month for individual plans in Nigeria, a 54% increase from the previous ₦1,100. Family plans saw an even steeper rise of over 64%, jumping from ₦1,700 to ₦2,800.
In an email sent to Nigerian subscribers on April 4, 2025, YouTube explained the decision: “To continue delivering great service and features, we’re increasing your price to ₦1,700.00/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 users’ next billing cycle.
South African subscribers will also experience price adjustments starting mid-year. The individual plan will increase from R71.99 to R81.99 per month, while the family plan will rise from R109.99 to R149.99. YouTube Music subscribers in South Africa will now pay R64.99 instead of R59.99.
This trend extends beyond Africa. Early adopters of YouTube Premium in the United States, who have been paying $7.99 since its predecessor Music Key launched in 2014, are also seeing their first price increase in a decade.
The price changes come amid broader hikes across Google’s services globally. Earlier this year, Google raised prices for its Google One cloud storage service in several African countries, including Nigeria and Ghana. Other global platforms like Netflix and Microsoft have similarly adjusted prices across the continent since 2024.
