As many feared, the proliferation of streaming services has made cutting the cord a lot like cable TV. Not only are those cheaper monthly subscription fees starting to add up, but figuring out which service has the content you want and juggling apps can be just as time-consuming and cumbersome as flipping channels. YouTube’s Primetime channels announced today aim to change that by unifying and selling content from 34 streaming partners on YouTube.
Primetime Channels begins its rollout in the US with streaming services from partners, including AMC+, Epix, Paramount+, Starz and Showtime, available to subscribe and watch in the Movies and Shows section of YouTube. More streaming services, including NBA League Pass, are on the way, according to a blog post by YouTube’s director of product management, Erin Teague.
The full list of Primetime Channels partners includes some smaller names.
Primetime Channels content will be visible alongside all other YouTube content, including in recommendations and when searching among purchased content, Teague’s blog said. The director told The Verge that Primetime Channels content would not receive preferential treatment in recommendations or search results over other content. That means a viral video about Showtime’s Yellow jackets may rank higher than an actual episode of the series when viewing recommendations or search results. You can even like, dislike or comment on videos from Primetime channels, although there is no viewership.
In recent years, brands have rushed to release their own streaming services, flooding viewers with countless subscriptions and apps. YouTube’s Primetime Channels (not to be confused with Amazon Prime Video, of course), is a sensible way to bring a lot of that paid content into a single platform, which is known for showcasing video in a digestible, shareable and, perhaps the most important, binge-able format.
YouTube has strived to be a place where people watch regular TV shows and movies, as evidenced by its YouTube TV, which offers live viewing on cable networks. Until now, though, it couldn’t get enough of the right partnerships to launch a feature like Primetime Channels.
Streaming partners, meanwhile, hope to see subscription numbers improve with instant access to YouTube’s massive membership.
As The Wall Street Journal noted, YouTube saw its first annual ad sales fall in the past quarter, making subscription revenue all the more important. Despite the decline in ad sales, WSJ reported that YouTube TV’s revenue is expected to reach $9.1 billion by 2022, citing asset manager Credit Suisse. In a statement to WSJ, Christian Oestlien, YouTube’s vice president of product management, said Primetime channels could be “an equal or even greater opportunity” than what YouTube TV currently is.
With Primetime Channels, YouTube is adding another form of subscription-based revenue. WSJ reported that YouTube would split Primetime Channel subscription and ad sales revenue evenly with its streaming service partners. Primetime Channels does not offer significant discounts to new subscribers to partner streaming services.
After Nielsen recently reported that TV streaming was more popular than cable for the first time in the US, it makes sense for YouTube to step up its streaming efforts. According to Nielsen, YouTube (including YouTube TV) accounted for 7.3 percent of TV streaming in July, behind Netflix (8 percent) and “other” (10.2 percent).
YouTube is not the first service to unite streaming services. For example, there’s Roku, and Amazon Prime Video has content from AMC+, Discovery+, Starz, and Showtime, to name a few, and Verizon’s +play includes content from Disney+ and Netflix. Notably, content from some of the biggest streaming services, including Netflix, Disney+ and Hulu, is absent from the Primetime Channels launch.
However, YouTube seems optimistic about expanding its list of partners, making it more and more likely that the show or movie you want to watch can be accessed through YouTube.
