YouTube Plans to Create Original “Interactive Content”
Ron Perillo / 5 years ago
Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Type Videos
Hot on the heels of Netflix‘ Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, YouTube has announced that they are also considering similar interactive content on their platform.
This also follows after the news that they will be abolishing YouTube Premium. Instead, releasing their original content as part of the regular ad-supported platform feed. The end of premium also coincides with a pivot in show programming, moving away from expensive, big production originals.
What is Next for YouTube?
Expanding to interactive video content actually makes sense for YouTube. Since it does not necessarily require a large budget to produce. Also, with many users still watching videos in from of their computer or smartphone, interactive content consumption is much more intuitive for the viewer.
The company is also careful to call it “interactive content” rather than what most people call it. Especially after Netflix got sued by children’s book publisher Chooseco LLC. They are the company who owns the trademark to “Choose Your Own Adventure”.
Whatever you call it, the company is committing resources to create these interactive content originals. They have even started a new unit, exclusively to develop their interactive programming content. So far, the platform has only had interactive content in their ad videos, so they do have experience with this type of narrative before.
