This spells disaster for us all, and it all begins October 28th 2015. Is it a coincidence that this day is also a human sacrifice day? Being that youtube has labeled their new “subscriptions” red, which can be labeled as blood. It is quite odd that the new plan also ties into ritualistic sacrifice.
YouTube made its top video creators an offer they literally couldn’t refuse, or they’d have their content disappear. Today YouTube confirmed that any “partner” creator who earns a cut of ad revenue but doesn’t agree to sign its revenue share deal for its new YouTube Red $9.99 ad-free subscription will have their videos hidden from public view on both the ad-supported and ad-free tiers. That includes videos by popular comedians, musicians, game commentators, and DIY instructors, though not the average person that uploads clips.
It’s a tough pill to swallow that makes YouTube look like a bully. Though turning existing fans into paid subscribers instead of free viewers could earn creators more than the ad revenue, forcing them into the deal seems heavy-handed.
[Update 10/23/15: The takedowns have already begun. Today ESPN had to remove most of its videos from all versions of YouTube in the US. Because its other contracts prevent it from being on subscription services like Red, ESPN’s videos are now disappearing from the ad-supported tier of YouTube in the US.]
Google says the goal is to offer consistency, so people thinking about subscribing to Red don’t have to worry about their favorite content not being available in the ad-free service. But there’s no explanation why it couldn’t just flag videos of those who don’t sign the deal as “Not On Red”, and instead had to go with a sign-or-disappear strategy.
Works Cited
Josh Constine. “YouTube Will Completely Remove Videos Of Creators Who Don’t Sign Its Red Subscription Deal.” TechCrunch. . (2015): . . http://techcrunch.com/2015/10/21/an-offer-creators-cant-refuse/#.ntshk3:kSEK