YouTube mulls possibility of paywalled content channels

Would you pay to watch content on YouTube? That hypothetical question may move into a practical realm soon, with the announcement that YouTube is considering allowing its content partners to install paywalls for their channels.

Since its creation, YouTube has been available to everyone – Well, aside from private videos, of course – for the grand price of zero dollars and zero cents. But that might be about to change, if an offhand comment from the global head of content at the Google-owned company carries the weight it seems to. Are you ready for pay-to-view YouTube channels?

Robert Kyncl, YouTube’s global head of content, was speaking at “The War for The Living Room” panel at this year’s Abu Dhabi Media Summit today when he suggested that the company is considering a proposal to allow some of its original content channel partners to install a paywall to monetize their content on the site. “The majority [of channels] will be ad-supported,” he said, but “there will be some that will be paid.” Expanding on the subject when talking to the Hollywood Reporter after his panel appearance, he said that YouTube has no set plans to allow partners to make their channels pay-subscription only at this point, and that discussions are at such an early stage that he wouldn’t want to speculate on potential subscription fees or a launch date for the subscription model.

The question of how to successfully monetize YouTube – a site that, more than most, relies upon a model where users can stumble upon content by accident, and freely share it without fear of being penalized for doing so – has been one that the company has wrestled with for some time. Currently, the site offers different levels of advertising for different videos, with Kyncl saying that more popular videos, or specifically branded content, can be offered at higher ad rates; the explanation he offered was that a video of a dog on a skateboard would normally sell ad time at $2 per thousand advertisers, but if the video appeared on Tony Hawk’s official channel, it could be offered at anything up to $20 per thousand viewers.

Currently, Kyncl says, YouTube is looking to “take the friction out” of the ad process, looking at ways to maximize revenue for the site and its content partners. The current model sees YouTube selling ads on the channels and keeping all revenue until its original investment has been repaid via ad dollars. When that goal is reached, he says, all advertising revenue will be split evenly between YouTube and the channel partner in question.

It remains to be seen whether or not installing paywalls would harm the new content partner channels in enough of a way that it would result in lowered revenue, at least in the short term. After all, even if viewership drops, is the resultant loss in ad income really going to be high enough that it’ll mean the site and partner earn less considering the remaining viewership will be paying to view…?

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Check out 3D Ms. Pac-Man at New York’s Museum of Art and Design

At Babycastles Summit, visitors experienced a new realm of video games including a 3D Ms. Pac-Man set that covered every wall of the room.

Lots of museums in New York City offer interactive exhibitions where visitors can play with the installations and experience the sensory first-hand. But none were quite as geeky and awesome as this 3D Ms. Pac-Man game that takes up the space of an entire room — ceilings included. If you happened to be in the Big Apple this past month, a visit to the Museum of Art and Design in midtown afforded you the opportunity to take the widely-loved 8-bit game to a new dimension.

Created Keita Takahashi, the mastermind behind the wacky game Katamari Damacy, the playable 3D Ms. Pac-Man requires player to physically move their bodies as they play. As Ms. Pac-Man runs off one wall and onto the other, you’ll need to make the correct turns and keep your eyes on the other walls to ensure you don’t accidentally run into a ghost. Remember to watch out for the special fruits as well if you want to make the high score!

The installation is part of Babycastles Summit, a collaboration between the social video gaming group and Takahashi, to bring the arcade world to life size. Other exhibitions include a two-player controlled Super Mario Bros. that looks more like ball drop game for weight trainers, and Defender-style game that requires players to run from room to room to catch the movement of their characters on separate but connected computer screens. The latter takes side-scroller games to a literal level, and makes the game feel more interactive. Who wouldn’t want to jump into a ball pit after completing a level? Unfortunately, this option isn’t very doable in New York City-sized apartments for us gamers in the metropolis… which is why a day at the museum makes perfect sense.

If you’re visiting New York and want to learn more about video game history and some interactivity, don’t feel bad that you missed this summit. A short trip to the Museum of Moving Image in Queens also allows you to explore some background behind gaming technologies and play with vintage arcade booths. This is the same museum that, back in 2007, had an exhibition for a projector screen-sized Star Wars shooter game so you can certainly expect tons of nerdy fun no matter how many times you visit.

Check out the videos from Babycastles Summit, a giant adult playground, thanks to Kotaku.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com