YouTube Is Reportedly Moving Away From Original Series

Original series was one of the ways YouTube thought it could get people to sign up for the premium tier. It has tried that for a while but may not have seen the expected results. According to a new report, YouTube has canceled two of its biggest original series and is no longer accepting pitches for new scripted shows.

Bloomberg hears from sources that YouTube has canceled the sci-fi series Origin and Overthinking with Kat & June. This is said to be part of the company’s shift away from original content as it no longer wishes to compete against Netflix and others with original programming. It was first reported last year that the company would make some changes to its original content plans going forward.

Originally launched as YouTube Red and now called YouTube Premium, the report mentions that this tier won’t be done away with altogether. It will continue to be available but the focus would shift from premium original content to music.

So subscribers will be able to get music-focused features such as background playback. YouTube has also invested in programming about emerging music artists. YouTube will continue to invest in some original content but it will be focusing these efforts with its creator community as opposed to Hollywood studios and stars.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: Web
Tags: YouTube