YouTube announced Thursday that it will help its biggest video stars create additional fun content by paying for their new videos.
Alex Carloss, head of YouTube Originals, wrote in a blog post that with the new round of funding, he hopes to learn about the process of making videos for fans, adding that it isn't easy to come up with new content, according to PC Magazine.
"We'll experiment with the new formats and ideas. We'll get our hands dirty," Carloss said. "We'll make some mistakes. Together, we'll (hopefully) create some fantastic new content on YouTube."
Unlike past approaches, which had the Google-owned video-sharing site try to use non-YouTube stars to increase the site's popularity, the new approach will focus solely on YouTube users who already have a strong following, Re/code reported.
YouTube is in talks with video producers and distributors, who say the site wants to produce different formats and different lengths for new videos, such as sometimes having talent work with traditional Hollywood producers on content. One producer talking to YouTube said the company has talked about spending "single-digit millions" on a series that will have 10 parts.
"The idea is to help them make more ambitious projects that they can make with the money they're making from YouTube right now," the producer said.
The move follows a year after YouTube opened several video production studios around the world as an attempt to help its creators make compelling videos, PC Magazine reported.
The company also recently started full-scale marketing and advertising campaigns to help increase the fan base of Epic Rap Battles of History, Bethany Mota, and other creators. The site said it is using these campaigns in other countries, such as Brazil, the U.K., France, and Germany.
YouTube fans may have to wait a while for the new shows since they aren't expected to appear on the site until next year, Re/code reported.
Carloss said YouTube's new investment will not only help its stars "fulfill their creative ambitions but also deliver new material to their millions of fans on YouTube."
