YouTube Originals TV shows and documentaries have been a perk of the YouTube Premium service, however, the video platform recently announced it will soon offer its unique content for free.
YouTube’s Chief Business Officer Robert Kyncl confirmed at the Brandcast event on Thursday, the YouTube Originals transition from paid content to free with intermittent ads. However, there are still a caveat with the change. YouTube Originals content will be available free only for a limited time, and will likely return to being apart of the paid YouTube Premium subscription service.
There is no word on how long the free option will be available for YouTube Originals. The easiest execution would likely be having content be free for several days or weeks after the debut of a new TV show or documentary. Making already released content available for free could be more of a challenge. YouTube also has not yet revealed when it will begin offering YouTube Originals as free content, which could mean it is still ironing out the kinks of how this free offering will work.
Those who pay the $11.99 monthly fee for YouTube Premium will always be able to access YouTube Originals ad-free.
YouTube has also confirmed a lot of new and updated content for YouTube Originals, including the third seasons of the popular shows “Cobra Kai” and “What The Fit” hosted by comedian Kevin Hart. YouTube is also working on a project featuring Justin Bieber, as well as documentaries on Paris Hilton, and the YouTube comedy channel, Dude Perfect. YouTube is also expanding its coverage of the Lollapalooza music festival and creating an interactive special called “A Heist with Markiplier.”
Recently, YouTube Originals released “The Boy Band Con,” a documentary featuring members of popular teen idol groups, including the Backstreet Boys and N’Sync, revealing details about their unscrupulous manager, Lou Pearlman.