By: Eisa Hashmi
Youtube has gone through a lot of changes. It once started as a way for people to watch short clips reminiscent of the stuff you see on America’s Funniest Home Videos, soon after, it became a place for creators to create individualized content and connect with a fan base. Now there’s Youtube Red.
Youtube Red is clearly a move by Youtube to try and step into the streaming market and compete with Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu. They’ve taken some of Youtube’s biggest stars, Pewdiepie and iiSuperwomanii, for example, and have given them original series and documentaries. They’ve already announced more content in the coming months with other big names attached. But looking at this content and the ideas that Youtube Red has to offer, it seems like they’re just making more of the same youtube videos we’ve always had. Now we just have to pay for them.
Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu all have original content that you can only get on their respective platforms. Netflix has House of Cards and many others, Amazon has Man In the High Castle and Transparent, and Hulu just released 11.22.63, based on the popular Stephen King novel. Each of these shows have things in common-they’re fictional and they’re huge in scope. They tell incredible stories with complex arcs that keep viewers hooked. They immerse viewers into these incredible worlds the showrunners have created and explore them extensively, something you can only really do on TV.
Now look at the content Youtube Red has to offer. A reality series about Pewdiepie, a documentary about Superwoman and several other series slated to be released that rely on one thing and one thing only-personality.
People watch Youtube for the sense of community that individual creators have established. Because Youtubers place themselves directly in front of the camera and talk directly to the audience as themselves, as real, relatable people, they create an individual connection with the audience. This is what a lot of people like about youtube. They like the community and they like the connection, but do you really see this replacing shows like House of Cards or Breaking Bad? Breaking Bad attracted viewers for its intense storylines and well written characters. Pewdiepie attracts viewers because he’s funny and charismatic. People will watch him regardless of what game he plays. They’re there for the guy, not the content. People will always want stories for entertainment and currently youtube is full of non fiction content whether it be in the form of vlogs or very tongue in cheek sketches.
Both Youtube and Youtube Red clearly lack the diversity in programming that has made Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu the titans of streaming. Youtube’s most watched creators mainly provide audiences with content that is more comedic in nature. Even channels geared toward filmmaking like Rocket Jump and Corridor Digital have strayed from making more dramatic short films and mainly focus on comedic action shorts and this isn’t fair to audiences. Drama may bum you out, but it has its place in entertainment. Drama is a genre full of films and shows that have made incredibly important marks on society. Schindler’s List hauntingly portrays one of the worst events in human history while The Godfather beautifully depicts family and the idea of the American Dream. This is something that Youtube is incapable of doing. And you can argue that satire or comedy can do the same if not more than drama when it comes to saying something about society, but can you really see something like Dr. Strangelove or The Great Dictator coming out of youtube?
Making story driven content would only help youtube break from the cliché that it offers nothing more than cat videos. Story driven content will make youtube’s place in the entertainment industry concrete and prove that it is more than a fad. Its up to youtubers and creators to really show their creativity and make content worthy of the big screen. But until then, youtube will remain a niche platform that receives very little respect from the entertainment industry.
