YouTube is preparing to offer its own original programming, the Wall Street Journal has claimed.
Citing “people familiar with the matter,” the Journal said YouTube could announce partnerships as early as next week. Google is reportedly teaming up with media companies and individuals such as InterActiveCorp’s Electus, News Corp, CSI creator Anthony Zuiker, and pro skateboarder Tony Hawk to produce content for YouTube.
A spokesperson for YouTube would not comment beyond saying the site is “always talking to content creators and curators of all kinds about building audiences on YouTube.”
The Journal alleged YouTube is attempting to become a “next-generation cable provider” by offering a huge selection of channels with professionally produced shows. Google has reportedly fronted more than $100 million to get the ball rolling on the project, expecting that it will recoup that money in advertising revenue sold on these programs.
Some of the rumored partners will be responsible for producing "dozens" of channels that fit into an array of categories like food, comedy, or news, the WSJ said. But YouTube doesn’t want this content to look the same as traditional TV shows.
YouTube will own the rights to the content its partners help create, the Journal added.
The latest rumor is consistent with reports about YouTube’s original programming efforts that first surfaced in April. At the time, the Journal said Google was sinking $100 million into YouTube to create professional content that is somewhere between amateur video that the site was founded on and the kind of content seen on Netflix, for example. This report popped up just after Google acquired Next New Networks, a video production company that had worked to bring content to YouTube.
Over the summer it was rumored that Google wanted to buy Hulu to help boost this project, but a few weeks ago, Hulu’s owners decided to take the site off the block.