YouTube Official Blog

You asked, and we listened! Today, we’re announcing that Background Play and Downloads are coming to YouTube’s Premium Lite subscription service.

Starting today, and in the coming weeks rolling out everywhere Premium Lite is available, subscribers will be able to watch most videos ad-free, offline and in the background.

Last year, we expanded our Premium Lite pilot to more markets​ and heard feedback about wanting these additional features included in the service. ​We're excited for today's update and to continue testing and building products that best meet our users’ needs.

If you want to watch all videos ad free, offline, and in the background — including music content and YouTube Music Premium — YouTube Premium is still the best option.

The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) is helping preserve and document the history and culture of the internet with its latest landmark acquisition: a reconstruction of an early YouTube watch page, featuring the first-ever upload, "Me at the zoo.”

Opening February 18 at V&A, the exhibit captures YouTube as it appeared on December 8, 2006. Developed by the museum alongside YouTube’s UX team and interaction design studio oio, the exhibit showcases the early designs of elements that continue to shape the internet today like badges, rating buttons, and sharing and recommendation features.

The 19-second clip of YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim, filmed on a low-res camera in 2005 is widely considered a foundational moment in the rise of user-generated content, enabling new modes of public self-expression, changing how media is created and consumed.

Visitors can experience this piece of history in the Design 1900–Now gallery at the V&A South Kensington, while a behind-the-scenes look at the technical reconstruction will be hosted at the V&A East Storehouse.

The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics are underway and about to get a major injection of "Hot Girl" energy as three-time Grammy-winning superstar, Megan Thee Stallion, joins the NBC Milan Cortina Creator Collective and YouTube on the ground at the Games.

With over 7.3 million subscribers and more than 630 million views across her music in the last year alone, Megan is uniquely positioned to bring her fans behind the scenes for a closer look at all the action in Milan.

What does this mean for the fans?

• Unique perspective and access: Through the partnership with NBCUniversal, who is the exclusive U.S. media partner of the Olympic Games, Megan will have access to Olympic venues and athletes, giving her the opportunity to experience the Games firsthand and share those moments with her fans and Olympic audiences alike.
• Only on YouTube: Fans everywhere can follow Megan’s on-the-ground adventures exclusively on her YouTube channel, featuring content that won't be seen anywhere else.
• Chart-topping influence: Having reached #1 on the US Top Songs chart five times with hits like "HISS," "Body," and "WAP," Megan brings a massive audience to the Olympic movement.

Bringing today’s most influential voices directly to the heart of the action in Italy exemplifies the unique role artists and creators play in taking today’s most exciting cultural moments and driving global conversation around them. Thanks to NBCuniversal’s Creator Collective, Megan and many more creators will be there to capture every iconic moment through their unique lenses on YouTube!

Great news for the creator community in Armenia: the YouTube Partner Program is set to go live this Spring. Creators in Armenia can monetize their content and join the global community of more than 3 million who have turned their passion into a business on YouTube.

Creators can learn more about eligibility to join the YouTube Partner Program here.

YouTube is built on a simple idea: we only succeed when our creators do. It’s why we’ve paid out over $100 billion to creators, artists, and media companies in the last four years alone.

With the upcoming launch of YPP in Armenia, YouTube is continuing its commitment to help grow the global creator economy, invest in their content, hire talent, and empower them to build successful businesses on and off the platform.

The latest Trends Report from YouTube’s Culture & Trends team, "The Expanding Entertainment Universe of the NFL: The NFL’s video evolution on YouTube," is now live, providing an inside look at the league’s massive growth on the platform.

Key insights from the data include:

• Massive viewership: Videos related to the NFL amassed over 20 billion views in 2025.¹
• Offseason growth: Over 30% of views related to NFL content in 2025 occurred between the conclusion of the Super Bowl and start of the regular season.²
• Rapid expansion: Annual global views of NFL-related content grew by over 250% from 2020 to 2025.²
• Fan-driven content: Annual global uploads of NFL-related videos grew by over 400% between 2020 and 2025.³

Visit the YouTube Culture & Trends site to read the full report.

1. _{Source: YouTube Data, Global, 2025}
2. _{Source: YouTube Data, Global, 2020-2025}
3. _{Source: YouTube Data, Global, 2020-2025}