YouTube Rules Out Return To Originals Despite TV Set Viewing Boom: “We Have No Interest Whatsoever In Producing Our Own Content” — MIP London

deadline.com:

YouTube has point-blank ruled out a return to original production, even as consumption of the site explodes on TV sets. During a keynote interview at MIP London today at the IET London conference center, YouTube VP of EMEA Pedro Pina said there was no appetite “whatsoever” to return to a YouTube Originals strategy.

Instead, he outlined why the Google-owned site was sticking to aggregation and providing a platform for content creators “from the kid in their bedroom to the biggest producer.” “There are a lot of misconceptions about YouTube and fears associated to what YouTube represents and does,” said Pina. “The first thing to say is we are an open platform.

We exist to provide the ability for context creators, from the kid in the bedroom all the way to the biggest producers, to use the platform, upload content and make it available. “The news inside the news is we have no interest whatsoever in producing our own content.

We’ve tried it a little bit and did a few experiments.” Interviewer Evan Shapiro, the producer and media exec, ventured YouTube had spent “a lot of money” on YouTube Originals, which included sci-fi drama Origin and the first seasons of Cobra Kai, to which Pina quipped, “moving on,” and added, “We are known for ‘Let’s try, fail fast and move on.’” YouTube had pulled away from original scripted programming in 2018, but was still making unscripted shows until 2023.