Back in 2016 YouTube launched Youtube Originals, a division headed by Susanne Daniels that is dedicated to producing premium shows and movies for the YouTube platform.
In a lot of ways, it could be seen as YouTube's answer to Netflix, just like YouTube Shorts is the platform's answer to TikTok.
The division has gone through many iterations, it began with scripted movies and shows based around the platform's top creators, such as the show Scare PewDiePie that was created by executive producers of The Walking Dead.
Later YouTube Originals began to focus on more traditional Hollywood-style shows and saw some success with the Cobra Kai series, a sequel to The Karate Kid.
Ultimately, though, the division has seen few breakout hits since its inception.
Now, YouTube's Chief Business Officer, Robert Kynci, has announced on Twitter that YouTube will cease making the majority of its YouTube Originals content.
An update on YouTube Originals: pic.twitter.com/PixhgZ2yhU
â€" Robert Kyncl (@rkyncl) January 18, 2022
The statement says "With rapid growth comes new opportunities and now our investments can make a greater impact on even more creators when applied towards other initiatives, like our Creator Shorts Fund, Black Voices Fund, and Live Shopping programming to name a few,"
The tweet also reveals that Susanne Daniels will leave the company in March and that this has contributed to the decision to scale back the efforts.
YouTube says it will continue to honour existing commitments for shows in progress, which includes Will Smith's upcoming fitness show and Alicia Keys' behind the scenes mini-series.
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