YouTube Shuts Down Original Content Group
YouTube will cut a significant portion of YouTube Originals, which has produced original content including scripted series, educational videos, music and celebrity shows.
Going forward, The Verge reports, the company will only fund originals in the YouTube Kids Fund and the Black Voices Fund, a program created in 2020 that set aside $100 million to "amplify" black creators on the platform. Founded in 2016 and led by Susan Daniels, it began with scripted shows and films focused on creators, such as PewDiePie's comedy thriller series Scare.
YouTube Original |
In 2017, YouTube reported that the first season for original subscribers only garnered 250 million views. The company has begun a transition to ad-funded content that shows celebrities like Katy Perry and Kevin Hart, available for free to users without a subscription.
And The Verge added that in six years, YouTube had created quite a few tracks that looked like hits. In the end, it wasn't clear what original programming had done strategically for a service that is already one of the world's most popular video destinations.