YouTube is offering select creators millions of dollars to keep their videos exclusively on the platform, as it moves to counter Netflix’s growing push to acquire content from some of its biggest online stars.
Bloomberg on Thursday reported that YouTube has begun offering creators “financial incentives to refrain from working with Netflix,” as the streaming company expands its efforts to bring creator-driven content to its platform.
The outreach marks a significant escalation in the competition between the two platforms for top creator talent.
According to Business Insider also, two people familiar with YouTube’s efforts said the platform had begun “exclusivity talks with a handful of creators, with the terms varying from one creator to another.”
One of the sources said YouTube had approached a creator with a verbal offer “in the millions” in exchange for posting exclusively on YouTube for a specified period.
The person said discussions had not yet reached the stage of finalising the details.
Business Insider also reported that YouTube had not set a deadline for completing the deals.
The platform’s reported push comes as Netflix has stepped up its efforts to “license content from high-profile creators, including Ms. Rachel and Salish Matter.”
Those videos have generally appeared on both Netflix and YouTube, but Netflix has also pursued arrangements that give it greater control over creator content.
Netflix’s creator push puts pressure on YouTube
Bloomberg has reported on the growing competition between Netflix and YouTube for creators, with Netflix pursuing deals with some of YouTube’s biggest stars.
The streaming giant has also expanded into video podcasts, an area in which YouTube has long been a dominant platform.
