Just as other online services such as Hulu and AOL have ventured into the content creation business, Google is pushing forward its original programming on YouTube channels.
“YouTube said Wednesday it would spend $200 million to market original content through a variety of channels,” reports the Wall Street Journal. “So far, YouTube’s strategy isn’t to own content outright but partner with those who produce it and generate advertising revenue.”
The investment has created film-quality productions like the channel WIGS, which offers scripted dramatic series and short films featuring stars like Jennifer Garner and Julia Stiles. Impressively, WIGS has done all this on a tight budget.
“But with only modest funding from YouTube — it is giving channels only up to a few million dollars each, far less than the cost of a typical TV production — it is impossible to pay average industry salaries,” the article explains, adding actors and crew usually work for a $15/hour wage.
While YouTube isn’t looking to replace other sources of entertainment, the site definitely attracts a wealth of viewers — 750 million unique visitors a month, according to a recent comScore report.
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