Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) is the king of online video, no matter what Facebook says. Google got there in a way that Facebook hasn’t quite managed just yet. The firm promotes original content, while taking on very little of the cost. That’s how PewDiePie and Ryan Higa got to where they are today. You can’t make money without spending it, however, and Google has changed its strategy.
Google is investing millions in the next generation of online video stars, and it’s starting out of a micro-studio in Los Angeles, California. The YouTube Space is in a former helicopter hangar outside the city. It’s the firm’s follow-up to the successful YouTube Space in London, and it’s completely free for aspiring YouTube stars.
Google gets into YouTube Spaces
The LA Space is one of six around the world. The firm has, since opening the first YouTube Space in London in July 2012, opened facilities for online video in New York, Berlin, Tokyo and Sao Paolo.
At the Space, creators can join in on workshops that teach them everything from video production, to gaining followers on their channel. They’re able to film their work using high quality cameras, green screens and stages with professional lighting. They’re also able to meet other video makers, network with them, and try to come up with something new.
While Facebook continues to ask users to upload their favorite videos from other sites onto its platform, Google is supporting the dreams of those seeking to make the next hit online show. The Space is host titles from CGI-heavy Terminator Genysis: YouTube Chronicles, to low-fi productions starring The Muppets.
Learning to make content at YouTube
Unlike Netflix, which needs to make better and better content in order to survive, Google doesn’t have much interest in making its own videos. YouTube is a platform, and Google simply wants those making content for it to get better and better. We’ve seen the firm guide industries before, and those watching YouTube Spaces should take a quick glance at Google Fiber.
The firm’s ISP business was never going to roll out across the US, and it was never going to make real money for CFO Ruth Porat. That’s not what it was for. Google Fiber created demand for high-speed internet across the US because of the media frenzy surrounding the speeds on offer.
Slowly but surely it’s working. Firms like Verizon and AT&T are being forced to upgrade their networks in order to improve customer satisfaction. When people are able to do more on the internet, they’re more likely to spend time on it. That increases ad revenue at Google and makes the firm’s shareholders very very happy.
With YouTube Spaces, the firm appears to be trying something similar. The Spaces will lead to a wealth of high quality YouTube original content and will teach users around the world how to create something that people will love. That will, in turn, allow Google to reap the rewards of a video platform that has real, high quality content, something Facebook can only dream of.