YouTube news

[John F]

This may not affect CMG much - it's hard to say. We depend on YouTube's music clips in various ways, and if they were deleted or put behind a pay wall, our posts would be much the poorer. But it appears that YouTube will be going in the opposite direction.

YouTube shifting to more free content to attract ad buyers looking for young viewers
By Stephen Battaglio
May 03, 2019

YouTube is making the case to advertisers that it can be more like TV in reaching consumers. The Google-owned video streaming service announced Thursday night at its annual presentation to ad buyers — known as the “Brandcast” — that it will make all of its original produced series available free to viewers with commercials, similar to the rest of the content on the site. Some of its original programs were running ad-free behind an $11.99-a-month subscriber pay wall.

YouTube has seen continued growth among younger viewers, making it a more attractive option for advertisers. Citing Nielsen data from May 2018, YouTube said it reached more 18-to-19-year-olds than all ad-supported cable TV networks combined.

“Creators are driving record audiences to YouTube,” YouTube Chief Business Officer Robert Kyncl told the presentation audience gathered at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan. “Two hundred million people come to YouTube every single day just to watch gaming videos. That’s twice the audience of this year’s Super Bowl.”

The presentation featured comments from advertising executives who said YouTube was a necessity in an age when younger viewers are spending less time watching traditional television. “YouTube helps us to reach audiences we can’t with TV,” said Alison Lewis, global chief marketing officer for consumer products company Johnson & Johnson.

The YouTube platform is still scary for some companies that fear their commercials will inadvertently end up next to unsavory or politically controversial content posted by users of the site. Calming those fears was the thrust of YouTube President Susan Wojcicki’s address to the Madison Avenue crowd last year. She briefly raised the issue again Thursday, saying the company remains vigilant in its efforts to create a safe environment for their brand messages. “Let me be very clear, living up to our responsibility is my No. 1 priority,” Wojcicki said. “And we are making significant progress.”

YouTube executives also said the company will keep the focus of its original programming efforts on unscripted series, how-to or “learning” series, music and special live events that are a friendly environment for advertisers. It will move away from the more expensive original scripted series launched in recent years, although several of those programs were renewed for new seasons.

https://www.latimes.com/business/hollyw ... story.html

[Rach3]

Thanks for this article.Yes, seems YT going away from pay-walls, I guess plans to share the new ad revenue with video posters ? Not sure how the model would work, but would more Classical artists and their labels will post full live recitals on YT without an audience present in addition to their typical concert tours and streaming and cd's? Reduce tours and streaming and cd's if YT ads cheaper ?

[John F]

I believe most of the classical recordings on YouTube were not uploaded the record companies or the artists but from amateurs, i.e. copyright violators. I looked for any indication that YouTube was going to take a harder line against this but there's no mention. All they really care about apparently is views as that influences what they can charge for advertising. Unlike TV, it's easy to count the views of a page online, which is what advertisers really want to know.

[Rach3]

So far, you're correct , but we might have a YT show "Daniil Trifonov brought to you by DGG and Smirnoff " ?