As many feared, the proliferation of streaming services has made cord-cutting look 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 seem as time consuming and cumbersome as changing channels. Announced today, YouTube Primetime Channels aims to change that by bringing together and selling content from 34 YouTube streaming partners.
Primetime Channels is kicking off its U.S. rollout with streaming services from partners including AMC+, Epix, Paramount+, Starz and Showtime, which you can subscribe to and watch in the Movies & Shows section of YouTube. More streaming services are coming soon, including NBA League Pass, YouTube director of product management Erin Teague said in a blog post.
Primetime Channels content will appear alongside any other YouTube content, including in recommendations and searches for purchased content, Teague said in a blog post. The chief executive told The Verge that Primetime Channels content will not be prioritized in recommendations or search results over other content. This means that a viral video about Showtime’s “Yellow Jackets”may rank higher than an actual episode of the show when viewing recommendations or search results. You’ll even be able to like, dislike, or comment on videos from Primetime channels, though the view count won’t.
Over the past few years, brands have rushed to promote their own streaming services, leaving viewers inundated with numerous subscriptions and apps. Primetime channels on YouTube (not to be confused with Amazon Prime Video, of course) are a smart way to bring most of your paid content to a single platform that’s known for presenting video in a digestible, shared, and usable way. perhaps most importantly, the drinkable format.
YouTube aims to be the place where people watch popular TV shows and movies, as evidenced by its YouTube TV, which offers live viewing on cable networks. However, it has so far failed to get enough partners to launch a feature like Primetime Channels.
In the meantime, streaming partners hope that subscriber numbers will improve with direct access to YouTube’s massive subscriber base.
As The Wall Street Journal notes, YouTube saw its first-ever decline in annual ad sales last quarter, making subscription revenue even more important. Despite declining ad sales, the WSJ said YouTube TV revenue is projected to reach $9.1 billion in 2022, citing asset manager Credit Suisse. In a statement to the WSJ, Christian Estlien, YouTube’s vice president of product management, said Primetime channels could be “as big or even bigger opportunities”than what YouTube TV currently is.
With Primetime Channels, YouTube is adding another form of subscription-based income. The WSJ said YouTube will evenly share revenue from Primetime Channels subscriptions and ad sales with its streaming service partners. Primetime Channels does not offer any noticeable discounts to new subscribers to partner streaming services.
With Nielsen recently reporting that streaming television has become more popular than cable for the first time in the US, it makes sense for YouTube to step up streaming. YouTube (including YouTube TV) accounted for 7.3% of TV streaming in July, behind Netflix (8%) and “others”(10.2%), according to Nielsen.
YouTube is not the first service to bring together streaming services. For example, there is Roku, and Amazon Prime Video contains content from AMC+, Discovery+, Starz and Showtime, to name but a few, and Verizon + play includes content from Disney+ and Netflix. Notably, content from some of the streaming giants, including Netflix, Disney+ and Hulu, is missing from the launch of Primetime Channels.
However, YouTube seems to be optimistic about expanding its list of partners, which makes it more likely that the show or movie you want to watch will be available through YouTube.