Tech: YouTube to Launch Pay Channels

Pie-kun

Quote:

LOS ANGELES - (AP) -- YouTube is set to announce within a few weeks a series of channels that will require payment, a person familiar with the matter said Monday.

The content on the new pay channels will be in addition to the millions of videos viewers watch for free on YouTube. It's not clear whether the paid videos will come with advertising.

The person was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Financial Times reported earlier that viewers would be charged as little as $1.99 a month for subscriptions.

In a statement, YouTube said it is looking into creating a "subscription platform" that provides its partners with a way to generate revenue beyond video rentals and placing ads in and around content. It said, however, that it had "nothing to announce at this time."

Executives hinted at the coming pay channels at a preview event in March ahead of a meeting in New York with advertisers.

Such a model could help video producers make money from niche audiences. That's different from how YouTube works now, where the most popular videos, like PSY's "Gangnam Style" music video, make the most money from advertising.

One example given by executives was of video lessons by a computer science teacher.

"For people who create great value but for only a narrow interest group, I think that the potential for pay channels unlocks opportunities for creating revenue streams," said Lucas Watson, YouTube's vice president of sales and marketing, at the time.

Introducing pay channels would also accustom fans of YouTube to paying for content, something the site is not known for, although it has sold and rented movies and TV shows from major studios since late 2008.

"It's a whole new skill set to develop: to convince people to actually take out their credit card, even for one cent," said Robert Kyncl, YouTube's vice president and global head of content partnerships, told reporters at the March event.

Google Inc. bought YouTube for $1.76 billion in 2006 when the video site had an estimated 50 million users worldwide. Today, the site boasts more than 1 billion visitors a month.

Source

Haus

Yeahhhh... no thanks. I thought the point of Youtube was to watch free entertainment.

Josh

Youtube can eat ****

bleuwaffle

Um, awful idea

Gygfb

Can't we just bookmark the channels? If not, YouTube is going to fall. Hard.

Witchpop

Quote:

Introducing pay channels would also accustom fans of YouTube to paying for content, something the site is not known for, although it has sold and rented movies and TV shows from major studios since late 2008.

"It's a whole new skill set to develop: to convince people to actually take out their credit card, even for one cent," said Robert Kyncl, YouTube's vice president and global head of content partnerships, told reporters at the March event.

Lol no, people will pirate those videos and put them online for free too, or just not watch them in general.

Dumb ****s. keep that **** away. I hope it flops.

Midnight

I'll pack my bags and move straight to DailyMotion if this mess happens.

I refuse to pay for some **** that I always got for free.

Garrix

this is going to fail so bad.

feuxtography

I only see this working for actual studios. As in, they upload TV episodes/movies and you only have to pay to have access to the channel.

Cas

Do you people actually read?

It's not like every channel will be paid, heck few will be.

GreasyBruce

It's all about money, eventually corporations want to take advantage of platforms like YouTube and Facebook and they turn from free, user-determined spaces to just another promotional tool. Sad.

Mastamaind

No.

You don't worsen an originally free service and charge money for it.

Prometheus.

This will probably be for channels like VEVO and other celebrity channels.

Guess i'll never see a music video ever again.

Mastamaind

Quote:

Originally posted by ImARudeBoy

This will probably be for channels like VEVO and other celebrity channels.

Guess i'll never see a music video ever again.

If that ever happens music video views will dramatically decrease in YouTube then another site that does it for free will appear, be popular and whatever.

Thomasuxx

In a few years, Youtube won't be free anymore and everyone will leave

Igrt

I see YouTube wants to shoot itself in the foot.

If a MAJORITY of channels turn into pay channels, I will be LEAVING

Georges

This could be Vimeo's moment

Jameson Teqkilla

Quote:

Originally posted by GreasyBruce

It's all about money, eventually corporations want to take advantage of platforms like YouTube and Facebook and they turn from free, user-determined spaces to just another promotional tool. Sad.

Facebook and YouTube are only free because they sell everything about you to advertising companies. They've been "another promotion tool" from the day they've started.

Cas

Quote:

Originally posted by Georges

This could be Vimeo's moment

Vimeo's search is crap.

RastaMentality

lol @ the prospect of google letting YouTube fail. YouTube is too widely known as the only relevant video site for it to fall just like that.