It has been a while since most people have thought of YouTube Originals – original programming made for the usually free platform that could be access via paid YouTube Premium (originally YouTube Red) subscriptions.

Now today we have an update on it by way of Robert Kyncl, chief business officer at YouTube. This was rather unceremoniously posted on Twitter in what appears to be a screenshot of a note written on a phone.

The conveyance of the message aside, it’s not great news for YouTube Originals as the entire programme will be greatly reduced in scope.

“Going forward, we will only be funding programs that are part of our Black Voices and YouTube Kids Funds. We will honor our commitment for already contracted shows in progress and creators who are involved with those shows should expect to hear from us directly in the coming days,” Kyncl writes.

For those who have not heard of them before, the Black Voices and YouTube Kids funds are initiatives to invest in content made by underrepresented groups. The former even has influence here in South Africa where creators from our country, as well as Kenya and Nigeria, are now backed by YouTube.

While it’s good that these are still being supported it seems the rest of YouTube Originals are set to die out. Kyncl reminisces on the success of the programme up until now, however.

“[Susanne Daniels, Global Head of Originals] and her team created an international slate of award-winning programs collectively amassing billions of views, shining a light on incredible creators, important social topics, and introducing YouTube to new audiences. In short, YTO played an integral role in growing the YouTube creator economy,” Kyncl adds.

While many people balk at YouTube Originals and the concept of paying for a YouTube subscription, the service created many fantastic shows.

The most popular is likely Cobra Kai, the Karate Kid spinoff, which was eventually moved to Netflix where it is still going strong.

One of our favourites is the show Impulse which was unfortunately cancelled after two seasons.

A final mention must be made of Obsolete (featured in the header image above) a mecha anime that remains a hidden gem on the platform. The last of its 12 episodes were released in 2020 so we were worried about the future of this one even before the news of YouTube Originals’ reduction.

An update on YouTube Originals: pic.twitter.com/PixhgZ2yhU

— Robert Kyncl (@rkyncl) January 18, 2022