YouTube is looking to make some of the same moves as Netflix by offering exclusive original content to its premium service users. Head of the department, Luke Hyams, spoke at the Edinburgh TV Festival recently about the future plans of the platform. "We've had more than 65 shows and movies since [the premium service] launched at the end of 2016, and we've got 50 shows releasing in 2019," he told the crowd.
"As far as our shopping list goes, on the scripted side we're looking for personality-driven, authored pieces with the potential for international appeal…shows with central characters, following one person's narrative," he added. Some shows in the vault are Origin, from The Crown producers as well as "The Sidemen Show, Kirsten Dunst's dark comedy On Becoming God in Central Florida, and a Robert Downey Jr.-narrated docuseries about artificial intelligence," Billboard reports.
"For comedy, we're after half-hours. More serialized half-hours than traditional sitcoms. Not so much stand-ups or specials, but maybe that will change," Luke added at the conference.
We'll have to see if any of these programs measure up to the original content that Netflix has pumped out in previous years and plans to pump out next year as well.