YouTube is eager to secure the rights for more movies and television shows for its YouTube Red service, according to the Wall Street Journal. The move is designed to take on the likes of Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Instant Video more directly.
Films and shows are already available on YouTube (and indeed Google Play), but the selection is pretty paltry and not up to par with some of the other services out there. The WSJ says YouTube executives want to seriously beef up the portal's offerings.
According to insider sources, the focus is going to be on new material: material that might be released on YouTube Red before it reaches other channels, or which could be completely exclusive to the Alphabet-owned portal (like Netflix's Beasts of No Nation).
Content is king
A $9.99/month YouTube Red subscription, which is only available in the US for the time being, strips out all advertising from the site, and gives members access to exclusive content from vlogging stars such as PewDiePie.
If the WSJ's sources are right, you can expect to see Hollywood movies and House of Cards-style programming arrive in the future too – and that might tempt more people to stump up a monthly subscription fee.
Negotiations are still at the early stages, according to the report, but it looks like you're going to have to sign up to yet another service if you want access to all the great video content that's being produced.
