Now that Facebook has started to sell subscriptions to publishers’ videos, publishers hope that YouTube will follow suit. And the Google-owned video platform appears poised to do so, stretching its existing subscription product in a way that it could be used to supplement media companies’ standalone subscription-based streaming video services.
After introducing its Memberships program in June 2018 to sell subscriptions for individual YouTube channels, YouTube has begun testing an option for channels to upload members-only videos, according to a document published to the platform’s support forum. A YouTube spokesperson did not provide a comment by press time.
That members-only videos option would enable publishers to upload the same videos available on their SVOD services to their YouTube channels without cannibalizing with their subscription businesses. It could also help to attract more paid members because anyone is able to see these paywalled videos on the publisher’s YouTube channel but only paid members are able to watch it. Non-subscribers are shown a message informing them that the video is only available to subscribers and directing them to sign up for a paid membership.
