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Bulletins

YouTube is winding down YouTube Originals as original content head departs

The Netflix that wasn't doesn't want to spend Netflix-like dollars anymore.

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YouTube is giving up on Originals.

Image: Protocol

YouTube is effectively giving up on most of its original content production efforts: The video service will be winding down most of its Originals slate, Chief Business Officer Robert Kyncl announced Tuesday. The decision coincides with the departure of YouTube's global head of original content Susanne Daniels.

"YouTube Originals played an integral role in growing the YouTube creator economy," Kyncl said in a statement posted on Twitter. "However, [...] our investments can make a greater impact on even more creators when applied towards other initiatives."

Going forward, YouTube will only directly fund programming that is part of its Black Voices and YouTube Kids funds, and also spend more on YouTube Shorts as well as live shopping, according to Kyncl.

YouTube launched its original programming efforts under Daniels' helm in 2016, and initially tried to use shows like "Cobra Kai" and "Step Up" to bolster its own subscription efforts. The service shifted gears in 2019, making all of its original content available for free, while also moving away from expensive tentpole programming.

Janko Roettgers

Janko Roettgers (Twitter, Mastodon) used to be a senior reporter at Protocol, reporting on the shifting power dynamics between tech, media, and entertainment, including the impact of new technologies. Previously, Janko was Variety's first-ever technology writer in San Francisco, where he covered big tech and emerging technologies. He has reported for Gigaom, Frankfurter Rundschau, Berliner Zeitung, and ORF, among others. He has written three books on consumer cord-cutting and online music and co-edited an anthology on internet subcultures. He lives with his family in Oakland.

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Bulletins