YouTube is planning to create scripted series and another original programming for international markets including France, Germany, Japan, Mexico and India in order to draw new customers to its paid subscription service, informed a senior executive.
YouTube allows users to upload, view, rate, share, add to favourites, report, comment on videos, and subscribe to other users. It offers a wide variety of user-generated and corporate media videos.
Several programming will appear on YouTube Premium, the monthly subscription service formerly called YouTube Red. Other content will be available on YouTube’s free service with advertising.
The programming will consist of multiple genres such as music documentaries, reality series, talk shows and scripted series, Susanne Daniels, informed YouTube’s global head of original programming. It will be produced in local languages and subtitled or dubbed for other markets.
Daniels mentioned in a statement “We are targeting markets where we believe we have a tremendous upside in potential subscribers”.
It has released a handful of original shows in South Korea and one in India, a talk show in Hindi about cricket, known as “UnCricket,” the show has performed “beyond expectations,” said Daniels.
Daniels informed in a reality show starring South Korean pop band Big Bang had boosted subscriptions, and that 50 per cent of the new customers came from outside of Korea. More details about the new international slate will be released in the coming weeks, she said.
The first original shows from YouTube debuted on its premium service in 2016, starting with series from some of the platform’s most popular video creators. The YouTube Kids app serves the younger audience, she said, and the company does not believe children’s content will drive subscriptions to YouTube Premium at this time.
YouTube will be competing with companies including Netflix Inc and Amazon.com Inc that are investing in local language programming for online audiences around the world.