YouTube announced "YouTube Red" Wednesday, a subscription service covering its entire library of published videos in addition to Google Play Music access. Days after the announcement, there is now a brewing discontent about the new offering both from users and publishers alike.
For a monthly fee, YouTube Red users can access an "enhanced" version of YouTube, according to an earlier HNGN report. The enhanced service includes videos without advertisement, exclusive content and users would also be able to download videos for offline viewing. Everything seems simple and straightforward: people who hate ads and those who have the money to spend can simply subscribe, and the rest of YouTubers can proceed with consuming content just like before.
Recent reports, however, reveal that YouTube is bullying content publishers to sign a YouTube Red contract. If a publisher refuses, his videos would be marked private and nobody will be able to watch, Gizmodo reported. "Today, the overwhelming majority of our partners, representing nearly 99-percent of the content watched on YouTube, have signed up," a YouTube spokesperson said "Videos of partners who don't update their terms will be made private, but we remain committed to working closely with these partners with the goal of bringing them on board."
YouTube is expecting that majority of publishers have already signed in. The case is that most have joined because they did not have any other choice, noted Fortune.
The content of the YouTube contract has not been made public, and the mystery is fuelling fears and outrage about the idea of having to pay in order to watch some content in the video-sharing platform. Unhappy YouTube users posted their sentiments on Twitter.
YouTube Red...hmmm. I have a bad feeling about it. I may be wrong, but it feels like the beginning of the end for the YouTube we all know.
— Joshua David Evans (@JoshuaDtown) October 22, 2015
So far, this is all we know about YouTube Red. 1. Horrible name. 2. The rich get richer 3. No one knows what it means for other 99% of YT. — Jesse Cox (@JesseCox) October 22, 2015
Is YouTube red trying to get us out of a job — Acacia Brinley (@AcaciaBrinley) October 21, 2015
The wider YouTube audience is still awaiting with bated breath, as the subscription service still remains unclear. One can expect a backlash, however, once their favorite channels go off the grid for rejecting the service.
