YouTube has hired a former MTV executive to head up its drive to produce original content.
Google’s service might be the leading source of online video content, but it’s not doing particularly well when it comes to monetising that content.
Yes, it has an enviable roster of amateur “stars” producing widely viewed video content, but rivals like Facebook and the Vessel are beginning to encroach on its turf. Plus, YouTube simply doesn’t generate as much advertising revenue as a service of its size really should.
One of YouTube’s solutions will be to produce a subscription model that includes original content as an incentive to sign up. Yep, a bit like Netflix.
In a bid to push this fresh content angle, the company has signed Susanne Daniels, who until recently was the president of programming for MTV. Daniels has joined up as the vice president for YouTube originals.
As CNN points out, Daniels was a key executive for a cable channel that focused on producing youth-oriented TV content. That sounds like just the kind of figure YouTube needs overseeing production of its new shows.
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The new position Daniels will occupy has been created from scratch, and the existing team heading up original content for YouTube will now report to the new VP.
As many have pointed out, there’s something deeply symbolic about an executive from the biggest youth TV service of the ’80s and ’90s moving to an internet company.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
