YouTube Red, YouTube’s paid subscription service, launched its first round of premium content today, eliciting mixed reviews from users and creators.
The primary complaint thus far is a fiscal one. Fans who are used to free content are upset with having to pay for it.
https://twitter.com/JoC_684/status/697481522140434434
https://twitter.com/chrmnfrncsc/status/697461708630011904
https://twitter.com/alluringnjh/status/697461664111845380
https://twitter.com/Ollieisaflop/status/697389474112622592
But some fans who are willing to pay are upset instead by the geo-restrictions of Red, which is only available in the United States.
it's so dumb that youtube red is US only
— fin (@finblade_) February 10, 2016
I wish YouTube Red was worldwide I want to watch all of Pewdiepie's new show :(
— mitchell (@Strubber) February 10, 2016
And this has led to pirating requests for the content, so fans in other countries can see the new videos.
https://twitter.com/lukeanto28/status/697481723567804417
https://twitter.com/7_Grand_Dad/status/697481643574042624
On the flip side, many fans and creators are excited about the content, and excited about their Red memberships.
regardless of how you feel about #YouTubeRed, you gotta give it up to @IISuperwomanII & @pewdiepie frickin' going for their dreams. HUGE! <3
— tyler oakley // schedule pinned (@tyleroakley) February 10, 2016
I watched the free episode of Scare @pewdiepie and instantly I got @YouTube RED! I know I'm gonna love this!!!
— Matt Breck (@NomNomBreckfast) February 10, 2016
Looks like I'll be getting @youtube red to watch @LazerTeam later today, can't wait @RoosterTeeth!
— Sean🌪 (@SeanTwisters) February 10, 2016
Hank Green, a prominent vlogger and founder of VidCon, laid out a spreadsheet for fans to understand how Red subscriptions were more beneficial to creator income than the traditional ad-supported model. The sentiment has been supported by other YouTubers.
If you would like to check to see how YouTube Red is affecting your channel earnings, I have created a spreadsheet: https://t.co/eUuUUxQ4OZ
— Hank Green (@hankgreen) February 10, 2016
In short…YouTube Red views are worth around 100% more to our channels (on average) than ad-supported views.
— Hank Green (@hankgreen) February 10, 2016
Green then followed up the tweets with a sponsored one promoting Red sign ups. He and his brother, John Green, turned down funding from YouTube to develop their own Red program when approached last year.
Red has run ad-free service for subscribers since launch in October, and has doled out payments to creators based on percentage of watch time across channels. All channels had to comply with Red terms and conditions to be part of the monetization structure of YouTube moving forward.
Red will continue to roll out new content throughout 2016.
Illustration via Max Fleishman