Google’s YouTube is folding its effort to create original programming and focusing on the millions of creators who populate the video platform with content.
Chief Business Officer Robert Kyncl said Tuesday that the video platform would invest in live shopping programming, its Black Voices Fund and YouTube Shorts, its TikTok competitor. Its head of YouTube Originals, Susanne Daniels, will exit from the company in March.
Alphabet Inc.’s GOOG -2.50% Google has long taken a trial-and-error approach to business ventures, spending millions to spin up efforts in e-commerce, gaming and social networking only to later abandon them. It is part of the company’s philosophy of redirecting its massive profits from search into new products in hopes of diversifying beyond a digital ad business that accounts for 80% of total sales.
In YouTube’s case, it attracts billions of viewers with its videos uploaded by influencers and other users, but never developed into a destination for original content.
YouTube Originals started in 2016 as Netflix Inc. amassed subscribers behind a strong slate of original shows such as “The Crown.” To lead the effort, the company hired Ms. Daniels, a TV veteran and former president of Lifetime Networks. Her signature show became a reboot of the Karate Kid films called “Cobra Kai” that explored what happened after its lead character, Daniel, grew up. Its first two seasons aired on YouTube before it migrated to Netflix.
William Zabka and Ralph Macchio in ‘Cobra Kai,’ which aired on YouTube for its first two seasons before migrating to Netflix.
Photo: YouTube/Sony Pictures Television
YouTube aimed to make the programming part of a $12 premium subscription plan that provided access to original shows and made other videos on the platform commercial free. Other shows such as “Step Up,” produced by actor Channing Tatum, struggled to find an audience, and the premium platform became better known for its ad-free offering than its original programming.
Mr. Kyncl credited YouTube Originals with “amassing billions of views…and introducing YouTube to new audiences.”
The company last year reported that YouTube Music and Premium has 50 million subscribers, including trial users.
With Tuesday’s move, YouTube is deepening its focus on the so-called creator economy, which includes millions of podcasters, newsletter writers and videogame streamers who are drawing ever larger amounts of money.
In a Twitter post announcing the move, Mr. Kyncl said on Tuesday that YouTube has paid more than $30 billion to creators, artists and media companies over the past three years.
A YouTube spokesman said that YouTube Originals will continue in some limited fashion through some unscripted children’s and other programming.
Write to Tripp Mickle at Tripp.Mickle@wsj.com
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Appeared in the January 19, 2022, print edition as ‘YouTube Ends Own Content Push.’
