Mumbai: Online video giant YouTube is set rollout its Originals service in India, with A R Rahman’s music talent show ARRived set for release in the next few weeks.
Currently offered for free using an advertising supported revenue model, the service is also to be offered with a subscription option in the future, the Google-owned company said.
Part of YouTube’s Premium service, YouTube Originals has released 60 projects since its launch in 2016. It is now available in 17 countries – including France, Germany, Japan and Mexico – and plans to release 50 new shows worldwide in 2019. Most of these will feature content from YouTube’s most successful creators and partners.
“YouTube funds and commissions these shows based on insights from user data, but the IP remains with the creator,” YouTube India head of Entertainment SatyaRaghavan told the Press Trust of India.
YouTube has already piloted two cricket-based talk shows hosted by GauravKapur and VikramSathaye to test the Indian online video market.
YouTube claims to have 245 million unique users per month in India, making it the country’s biggest digital video platform. This is set to grow further with the increased availability of affordable data and proliferation of smartphones in India.
“With our growing reach and highly engaged audience, brands have an incredible opportunity to engage with the audience. Our goal is to further boost the ecosystem and supercharge the growth,” Raghavan is quoted as saying.
