YouTube Primetime Channels: All information about the start in Germany

The YouTube Primetime Channels are coming to Germany. With premium offers for a number of TV, film and streaming partners, the video platform is busy getting involved in the local streaming market. It is questionable whether the plan will work, since YouTube is primarily known for fast, free videos.

After YouTube launched the Primetime Channels in the USA in November 2022, Germany is the first international market in the starting blocks.

This gives interested parties another channel on which they can subscribe to and consume paid content, such as YouTube announced via its official blog.

The idea of ​​publishing a marketplace for streaming services is a bit older and was initially called the Channel Store. The service is comparable to the Amazon Prime channels.

Primetime Channels: YouTube as a centralized solution

It takes very good arguments to add another player to the highly competitive streaming market these days.

The strategy of YouTube and Primetime Channels is simple: As a well-established brand, the service hopes for existing users who visit the platform regularly to discover content – and then stay there to consume it rather than switching providers must.

YouTube refers to one in its own blog article futuresourcestudy, according to the “YouTube is already a helpful source for 52 percent of users [ist]to discover new TV content.” The aim is to convert as many paying customers as possible.

How the YouTube Primetime Channels work

YouTube against the entertainment patchwork? Something like that, because the platform does not offer its own content on the primetime channels, but rather the content of well-known partners.

It is precisely this cooperation that forms the strategic focus, because users can experience films, series and live sports in one place.

The basic idea: You look at a trailer on YouTube and with one click you get to the Primetime channel, where you can find the corresponding film.

The subscriptions should cost between 2.99 euros per month and 99.99 euros for complete season passes – but you can test many channels for seven days free of charge, they say. You can reach the Primetime Channels directly via the menu item “Movies & TV”.

Primetime channels in detail

YouTube promises “access to live content, documentaries, films and series, curated trailers, behind-the-scenes material and interviews” – also available on mobile devices, of course. There are also personalized recommendations using AI.

These offers should be available when the Primetime Channels start in Germany:

• ARDPlus
• Crime + Investigation Play
• European League of Football
• Romance TV, Heimatkanal and GoldStar TV
• Motor Vision TV
• Sports1+
• Sports digital football
• History Play
• World of Freesports

YouTube advertises, among other things, with a large “Tatort” archive, with documentaries such as “History’s Greatest Heists” with Pierce Brosnan, with live sports from Major League Baseball, the European League of Football, with live soccer and Nascar.

eSports1, Bergblick TV, Waidwerk and Jukebox are also planned. Paramount Plus is also set to become a YouTube partner.

YouTube Primetime Channels: This is how the partners benefit

Anyone who enters into a cooperation with YouTube can benefit from promising synergies – especially from the immense reach, because billions of users log in every month and stream billions of hours of video every day.

YouTube describes itself as a “strong video content discovery tool” and also offers features such as comments, likes and shares that other providers do not have because they lack the community area with high response rates.

As soon as the content is integrated into the YouTube primetime channels, the partners can interact with their (potential) fans and, at best, retain them.

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