YouTube aims for young audience with subscription service

Could it soon be time to YouTube and chill?

The world’s biggest online video platform will officially crack into the paid original content business next week when it premieres the first four titles produced for its new subscription service, YouTube Red, the company said Wednesday.

Included in the Feb. 10 launch are “Dance Camp,” a musical teen drama produced by digital network AwesomenessTV; “Scare PewDiePie,” a series that pairs YouTube sensation Felix Kjellberg with the creator of “The Walking Dead” and Maker Studios; “A Trip to Unicorn Island,” a documentary by another wildly popular YouTube star, Lilly Singh, and digital-first studio Astronauts Wanted; and “Lazer Team,” a sci-fi comedy made by production company Rooster Teeth and Fullscreen Films.

The launch marks an important turning point for YouTube, which is largely responsible for kick-starting the online video revolution but hasn’t generated the same buzz as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video or Hulu in recent years.

Those streaming sites have enjoyed massive success with popular series such as “House of Cards,” “Orange Is the New Black” and “Transparent.”

YouTube hopes to do the same, but with cheaper productions and a decidedly younger audience that’s grown up watching YouTube and social media stars instead of traditional TV.

This story was originally published February 3, 2016 at 4:32 PM with the headline "YouTube aims for young audience with subscription service."