Initiative may be announced on October 21.
By Sreekanth A Nair
YouTube is preparing to offer paid service soon.
YouTube is in the process of adding some new programs, which will be available only to paid subscribers. It is expected that they will announce some of these initiatives at an event at its studio in Los Angeles on October 21.
Last year, YouTube had announced a program to fund new content from some of its top creators. But it didn’t say that viewers would be charged for viewing that content.
YouTube will continue its free service with the help of advertisements. So all users can continue to enjoy the free service of the website. But the paid subscribers will be able to watch ad-free premium videos. However, details of subscription charges are not yet known.
It’s not clear when the new initiative will be launched. There are reports that some of the content for which YouTube is paying is not ready. So, paid subscription is expected to launch only in 2016.
In 2011, the company invested more than $100 million to aid content from celebrities, including Jay Z and Ashton Kutcher. But the project was a failure. So, this time YouTube is focusing on people who developed their own ways to reach youngsters, instead of celebrities.
Media companies such as Turner cable unit, Fox Sports, A+E networks and NBC Universal have inked agreement with YouTube to make content for them. Negotiations are also going on with Disney.