ESPN To Pull Down Its YouTube Channel Over Rights Issue

YouTube Red is the video platform’s new membership program that allows viewers to watch their favorite YouTube content without any ads and provides offline playback.

If you’re not aware, YouTube is launching this new service in hopes of attracting pay subscribers who are fed up of ads autoplaying before videos.

Disney, ESPN’s parent company, however, has signed a deal to include its content on YouTube Red, the spokeswoman said. Upon debut, the service is due to have 99 percent of the content that people search for, Robert Kyncl, YouTube’s chief business officer, said this week, suggesting that ESPN’s official content isn’t a major draw. YouTube, which is owned by Google, says that creators have to participate in Red to have their videos show on YouTube in the U.S.

Media analyst Laura Martin of Needham & Co stated, “It has to leave YouTube so it doesn’t get sued by its pre-existing partners”. According to her, YouTube will have to make exceptions for ESPN if they want the sports network back. “Videos of partners who don’t update their terms will be made private, but we remain committed to working closely with these partners with the goal of bringing them on board”, said YouTube not mentioning the fact it meant fleecing the little $9.99 per month from them too, irrespective of no guarantee of generation of any fixed revenue. Those that don’t participate would have their videos turned to private in the US, effectively turning them off for all but the uploader.

YouTube has come up with a new creation ‘YouTube Red, ‘ to generate even more revenue, and it is now under scrutiny for the way the company has handled its leading stars.