YouTube is a vast well of content creators that companies like Netflix have already started tapping into, and in an effort to increase interest in its new premium subscription service, YouTube has finally decided to do the same. The company announced on Wednesday that three movies and one show will premier on YouTube Red on February 10th, which should be the beginning of a new stream of exclusive and original content from popular YouTubers. It can be argued that the content is far more niche than the original content on Amazon and Netflix, but regardless, YouTube’s entrance into the premium video-streaming market should still make the aforementioned companies a bit worried.
YouTube has confirmed that one TV show and three feature-length films will be the first exclusive content released for its YouTube Red subscription video service. They will debut on 10 February in the US, the only country where YouTube Red has launched so far. Fans elsewhere in the world will have to buy the shows and films from YouTube, or buy and rent them from the Google Play store. Gamer Felix Kjellberg’s Scare PewDiePie reality-adventure series is part of the first wave of Red Originals. It will see the star, who has 42 million subscribers to his YouTube channel, face “terrifying situations inspired by his favorite video games”. Scare PewDiePie is an example of the kind of partnerships YouTube is encouraging for Red’s exclusives: Kjellberg’s multi-channel network (MCN) Maker Studios worked with the executive production company behind The Walking Dead on the show. The three films debuting on YouTube Red are A Trip to Unicorn Island featuring vlogger and comedian Lilly Singh; superhero film Lazer Team, from production studio Rooster Teeth; and Dance Camp, a musical featuring various YouTubers signed to MCN AwesomenessTV.
