After six years of loyal service, YouTube has decided to abandon YouTube Originals, its division dedicated to the production of original content, including scripted series, educational videos and music and celebrity programs.
Two factors drove this decision
The news was announced on Twitter by Robert Kyncl, YouTube’s chief commercial officer. He explains this decision in particular by the success of the company’s Partner Program, that is to say its advertising revenue sharing program, which now has more than 2 million participants. ” Our investments can now have a greater impact on even more creators when applied to other initiatives “, he writes.
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In addition, the departure from the company of Susanne Daniels, director of YouTube Originals, also played in the balance. She will leave her post on March 1, 2022. Almost all the content of Originals will thus come to an end, Robert Kyncl nevertheless specifies that the YouTube Kids Fund and the Black Voices Fund, a program created in 2020 to “ amplify black creators on the platform, will continue to be funded.
” We will honor our commitment for shows already contracted in progress and creators who are involved in these shows should expect to hear from us directly in the coming days. continues Kyncl.
An update on YouTube Originals: pic.twitter.com/PixhgZ2yhU
—Robert Kyncl (@rkyncl) January 18, 2022
Not really a success story
Founded in 2016, YouTube Originals originally intended to compete with Netflix in the streaming business. The service was paid for and offered scripted, creator-focused shows and movies. Subsequently, it shifted its focus to ad-supported content featuring celebrities, which users can access for free without a subscription.
If some productions have worked rather well, like Cobra Kai now on Netflix or even the documentary series on Justin Bieber called Seasons, it is clear that no huge hit has come out of the program. Strategically speaking, it’s also interesting to ask what YouTube Originals really brought to the business, as YouTube is already the most popular video streaming platform in the world.
YouTube follows the trend
Robert Kyncl says YouTube will focus more on Shorts and live shopping. If we still ignore the figures for short videos made in YouTube, it is clear that the company chooses its side and follows in the footsteps of TikTok, whose global success is phenomenal.
As for live shopping, the firm announced last July that it was testing this feature, consisting of promoting and putting product links during live, with a handful of designers. Live shopping has greatly increased in popularity during the confinements, and YouTube sees this as a way to generate significant profits.