Last week saw YouTube unveil its paid subscription channels, letting users watch content such as national Georaphic and Sesame Street episodes online for a monthly channel fee as low as $0.99. Stuart Fuller, Director of Commercial Operations and Communications at NetNames, examines how the move needs to adapt to keep up with the shift to premium online video content.
The growing popularity of on-demand video channels such as those offered by Netflix, Hulu and LoveFilm has led to many users abandoning YouTube in favour of more streamlined and up-to-date services which offer a better range of films, TV series and one-off shows.
Google will have watched through clasped hands as LoveFilm and Amazon teamed up last month to start releasing pilot episodes of new programs, featuring the likes of John Goodman and other Hollywood celebrities.
Google will intend to better control content that is uploaded on to YouTube through such pay models, and hence avoiding painful and costly task of taking down pirated content online.
Consumers will need to start getting used to this type of online models, as big “social” brands and platforms cannot simply make money from selling advertising alone. Subscription models are only set to become more and more common in future.
By Stuart Fuller
Director of Commercial Operations and Communications
NetNames
www.netnames.com