YouTube's subscription service is having an identity crisis. CEO Susan Wojcicki described YouTube Red as a music streaming business, while other executives have said it's a premium film and TV streaming product to rival Netflix. Revenue growth has been slow – more than 100 media executives have said subscriptions are small compared with the money they can make from advertising. Numbers are expected to increase this year, though, as the service expands from the US, Mexico, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand to five countries.
YouTube's subscription service is having an identity crisis. CEO Susan Wojcicki described YouTube Red as a music streaming business, while other executives have said it's a premium film and TV streaming product to rival Netflix. Revenue growth has been slow – five media executives have said subscriptions are small compared with the money they can make from advertising. Numbers are expected to increase this year, though, as the service expands from the US, Mexico, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand to more than 100 countries.