YouTube Is Phasing Out ‘YouTube Originals’ To Focus On Other Creator Initiatives

Source: YouTube

YouTube is phasing out YouTube Originals to focus on other initiatives. 

YouTube's Chief Business Officer, Robert Kyncl, announced on Twitter that YouTube Originals will cease so that the company can focus on other initiatives like the Creator Shorts Fund, Black Voices, and Live Shopping, which it believes will have a greater impact on even more creators. In the future, the company will only fund the Creator Shorts Fund and the Black Voices program.

An update on YouTube Originals: pic.twitter.com/PixhgZ2yhU

— Robert Kyncl (@rkyncl) January 18, 2022

While a number of cultural figures like Kevin Hart, Ellen DeGeneres, and Katy Perry were featured in original programming, YouTube Originals failed to make a significant splash. Its shift of focus to Creator Shorts Fund, Black Voices, and Live Shopping is understandable given the growth of the creator economy.

With these initiatives, YouTube can address some of the most important trends currently happening in creator monetization, short-form video, and live shopping. Although Originals may have entertained some users, its impact was limited to the few stars and creators that got original shows, whereas these other initiatives can affect thousands of creators.

Every social media platform aims to become the go-to platform for creators, so it's important to be able to positively influence creators at scale.