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Google Set To Offer YouTube Subscriptions
Google, in its quest to be an omnipresent media overlord, is set to introduce paid YouTube video subscriptions in the coming week. It is currently highly dependent on its advertising revenue, so it is looking for new areas for bringing in money and offer a wide range of content as well. This also comes in the face of threat of original content from Netflix and Amazon.
Reports claim that the company may offer up to 50 YouTube channels that offer subscription content from $1.99 per month. The subscriptions will start from $1 and will go up to $5 per month. No channel partners have been announced as of yet, though one can expect the biggest channels to be in line with this model.
Google has been making money off YouTube videos for a while now, however it hit a brick wall when it came to offering the kind of content people wanted: original videos. The company has spent over $200 million already to market and develop premium content through its channel partners, and they are only now taking it to the next level.
The next level comes due to a threat from Netflix and Amazon, both of which are now offering original series. Netflix has already had success with House of Cards and Hemlock Grove. Amazon is currently testing pilots and will develop shows for release soon.
As it stands, YouTube video subscriptions make a lot of sense for Google. In an increasingly competitive market, making and marketing original premium video content makes a lot of sense for the company.
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