As one of the fastest surging economies in the world, India is a key market for many global tech giants including Google. Being the second most populated nation in the world, India has more than 400 million smartphones (with many users with more than one device) and the number could skyrocket past the 800-million-mark by 2022. Undeniably, that's a huge figure and cheap 4G data plans, thanks to Jio's entry, have fueled this momentum further. While the global smartphone sales are slowing down, India's demand for smartphones is rising and this tenders great opportunities. Video services, especially YouTube, remain to be one of the most sought-after offerings in India and to milk this cash cow, YouTube is going in aggressively with its premium services in India.
Back in March, YouTube announced YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium in India with a monthly subscription of ₹129 (~$1.85) and ₹99 (~$1.40), respectively. While these prices are almost on par with competitor Spotify, YouTube is now extending its student discount program in India to woo younger consumers and has introduced special plans which cost almost 40% less than the existing ones.
The discounted prices for YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium are ₹59 (~$0.85) and ₹79 (~$1.15) per month, respectively.
Do note that only students pursuing higher education (a college degree, per se) are eligible for this discount. To avail the offer, you must sign up for the Student membership on the respective pages and get your ID verified by SheerID. This should cover all nationally recognized institutions, including universities, colleges, and other institutions for vocational skills. You'll be required to add a scan of your Student ID or transcript of marks to get yourself verified, so keep that handy. You can visit here for the eligibility conditions.
YouTube's largest and fastest growing market
India has more than 200 million college students, so this plan can produce some lucrative results for YouTube's ambitions in India. Recently, the company's CEO Susan Wojcicki and Google chief Sundar Pichai acknowledged (at separate events) that India is the largest and the fastest growing market for YouTube.
However, the strong push from domestic players in the music streaming industry may dampen YouTube efforts. Jio-owned JioSaavn and Gaana.com recently cut prices by up to 70% to sway Indian consumers and announced annual plans priced at just ₹299(~$4.30). On top of that Gaana also offers a student plan for annual charges of merely ₹148 (~$2).
It will be interesting to note how Google uses its robust library which comprises not just official tracks but also renditions, covers, live albums, fan-made music videos, and more to beat the competition in India.
Get YouTube Music Premium student plan for ₹59 per month