YouTube Red is Having an Identity Crisis (digiday.com) 42
During an onstage conversation at Recode's Code Media this week, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki called YouTube Red a music streaming service -- first time any executive from the company has referred to YouTube Red as foremost a music service. From a report: This differs from comments that other YouTube executives have made in the past, including YouTube's head of global content Susanne Daniels, who last year described YouTube Red as a premium subscription streaming service that offers Hollywood-quality shows and movies.
Launched in October 2015, YouTube Red has always been positioned by YouTube as three services in one: It offers ad-free access to all of YouTube; it's a music streaming service that also gives access to Google Play Music; and it's consistently releasing original movies and TV shows, starring Hollywood talent and homegrown stars that users already subscribe to. Two years later, this has created somewhat of an identity crisis for the streaming service. As Wojcicki said in her interview, she sees YouTube Red as a music service. And she does not expect to spend billions of dollars on content to effectively compete with Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and others.
Launched in October 2015, YouTube Red has always been positioned by YouTube as three services in one: It offers ad-free access to all of YouTube; it's a music streaming service that also gives access to Google Play Music; and it's consistently releasing original movies and TV shows, starring Hollywood talent and homegrown stars that users already subscribe to. Two years later, this has created somewhat of an identity crisis for the streaming service. As Wojcicki said in her interview, she sees YouTube Red as a music service. And she does not expect to spend billions of dollars on content to effectively compete with Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and others.
Red is a Music Service? Nope. (Score:5, Insightful)
YouTube Red is an ad removal service. You can watch YouTube, or you can pay and watch YouTube without the ads.
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One of YouTube Red's big features on mobile is the ability to play videos in the background, or with the screen off. That's aimed mostly at music listeners. YouTube could provide that basic functionality without a paid subscription, but that's YouTube's clever way of holding music listeners over a barrel without having to admit to record companies what's actually going on.
A lot of copyrighted music unavailable on typical music streaming services slips through the cracks on YouTube. Basically it seems like u
Re: Red is a Music Service? Nope. (Score:1)
Also, videos are on YouTube legitimately that aren't on all the streaming services.
Videos are seen as promotion, and music streaming as a revenue source.
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Add in that a lot of popular video makers are moving away from YouTube's ads (either because of shit pay or because they've bee
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alvinrod asked the musical question:>/p>
What can you get with Red that you can't get without it, other than a lack of ads though?
As noted in TFS, there are original movies and TV-style series [wikipedia.org] that are only available to YouTube Red subscribers. (The rest of us have to pirate them.) Youtube has also recently moved a bunch of content from network TV providers behind their paywall.
So, that's what ...
Re: Red is a Music Service? Nope. (Score:2)
But what content that anyone actually cares about is behind the paywall?
Or, more accurately, what content that isn't available from a dozen other channels? When Vsauce went Red, it was no big loss, there are plenty of science themed channels. (Yeah I know Vsauce only put some content on Red, but the free videos are so rare he might as well not exist now.)
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nitehawk214 demanded:
But what content that anyone actually cares about is behind the paywall?
Or, more accurately, what content that isn't available from a dozen other channels?
That, sir, is an entirely different question ...
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I certainly use it for streaming music while I work. But I also watch a bunch of sciency, mathy and engineery channels that interest me. Since YT accounts for 90+% of the video and audio I watch and stream it was worth it to me to pay. The price is a heck of a lot less than other streaming services, works on a desktop and laptop which is what I have in front of me most of the time and there is indeed much foreign [youtube.com] niche music [youtube.com] content [youtube.com] that in the US is only available to me on YouTube even though it's widely p
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Right, and it is as if a coffee shop said, "Well, we're mostly a donut shop" and somebody said, "oh noes! identity crisis!" or if a donut shop said, "We're mostly a coffee shop," and somebody said, "Oh noes! Identity crisis!"
Of course, slashdot editors don't care that "identity crisis" doesn't mean, "admitted to being more than one thing," and it also doesn't mean, "said 5 words that were different than last years talking points."
The key feature of an identity crisis, without which you can't possibly be hav
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Crisis? You must enjoy drama.
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...or you can run an ad blocker, use HookTube [hooktube.com], or use the Kodi YouTube add-on [kodi.wiki].
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Several channels I used to watch have moved exclusively to YouTube Red. There's no option to see the content with ads.
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The only reason (Score:4, Interesting)
I have YT:Red is because I subscribe to google music streaming. That's it. I wouldn't pay for it otherwise. I also suspect that this is the case for the vast majority of people who have the service.
Which means, yes, YT:Red is indeed a music service.
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Yeah, I sub for Google Play Music, mostly for listening in my car. The removal of ads on Youtube is nice but those Youtube Originals are garbage. I really can't stand watching most Youtube personalities and would never pay to do so.
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Same for me, in reverse. I listen to a lot of music on various platforms and Google Play is worth it at 9.95/mo. When I found out I got YouTube Red for free, it just made it that much better. And it started with the free trial (I forget if it was 3 or 6 months) I got when I got a Nexus phone and Project Fi.
The only thing I have to remember is that not everyone has YouTube Red. I write a music blog and the easiest way t
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RedTube? (Score:4, Funny)
I'm not seeing how naming YouTube Red was at all a good idea given it's domain neighbors.
$120/yr app to enable background payback (Score:4, Interesting)
The YouTube app userbase has asked for years for background playback, and there were even Xposed modules to enable that, but then Google decided that they could get $120/yr for this feature by bundling it with other stuff nobody seemed to want. It might just be the most expensive 'pro' upgrade in the App Store.
Imagine the total worldwide energy savings from everybody who doesn't have it not leaving their screens on just to listen to YouTube. Google may say they're green with solar panels and carbon credit swapping, but where the rubber meets the road they don't put their money where their PR is.
Free Youtube Red (Score:2)
Good way to lose subscriptions (Score:1)
I've have YouTube ted since I bought my Nexus 6P in 2016. I very rarely listen to the music either through Google music or YouTube red. I primarily have it because I hate YouTube ads which I primarily watch through my 65 inch LG tv. There existing content is so shit i don't watch it. I primarily use it to watch various documentaties and how to videos, the only thing YouTube is actually good for.