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YouTube just killed itself

Yes, I'm sorry, it's another column about YouTube.

Every time I consider writing such a column I worry that nobody but me really cares about the future of YouTube. However, I then recall that recent stats indicate that it has eclipsed all other video sources to become the number one provider of videos and movie content.

That's right, more people watch YouTube than any other streaming service and even free-to-air broadcasting has been toppled by this gigantic platform.

Due to its reach and popularity, YouTube has become a part of almost everyone's lives, like it or not.

With this in mind, I guess it's okay for me to write another column about the video streaming giant, especially because this time it's a worrying forecast of what is about to happen.

Recently YouTube announced a raft of changes that are coming to the platform and although there are one or two that seem worthwhile, a worryingly large proportion of those changes will only serve to make things worse... much worse.

If you want a summary of what's coming, albeit from a creator's perspective, then this video from Nick Nimmin is worth a watch:

The worrying changes are mainly to do with the massive push to include AI in the creative process.

Already I am getting incredibly frustrated on a regular basis when I click on what looks like a video on an interesting topic, only to discover that it's either ridiculous click-bait or just another example of AI-slop.

Many of the new "features" announced by YouTube serve no purpose other than to help creators hone their clickbaiting skills or make it easier to add AI-created elements to their videos.

They've also added a raft of features that are designed to support and encourage creators to add their own ads (ie: sponsor segments) into their videos, so as to further annoy those who simply want to watch content not marketing fluff.

Initially I wondered why on earth YouTube would want to do this, given that they get no clip on the ticket from sponsorships. I eventually figured out that it was probably because the company realises that advertising payouts to creators have now fallen to such low levels that unless the help them create earnings from other sources, those creators may leave the platform.

Another reason could be that by providing a special mechanism for including sponsorship segments, YouTube could then, at any time, turn around and charge for that mechanism. That's right, it's a well-proven strategy to give away something until people become reliant on it and then start charging for it. Once you've got them hooked, they'll have no option but to pay.

Sadly, I can see a lot of creators blindly accepting YouTube's wonderful offer and using this mechanism to add sponsor segments to their videos -- only to regret it later when it becomes a "pay to use" service. If they don't pay then all that critical sponsor revenue, on which they are becoming increasingly reliant, could disappear overnight. Or maybe YouTube will offer a Premium-Plus subscription level which will not only get rid of ads but also then get rid of sponsor segments -- since YouTube has full control at that point. once again, this will hit creators and viewers in the pocket.

Eventually we'll hit the point where YouTube collapses. At some point in this endless move towards over-leveraging the value that the service represents, there'll be sufficient incentive for a new player to enter the market and exploit the market's desire to escape the endless ads, AI-slop and falling creator revenues.

YouTube's greed will ultimately cause the death of the platform and I feel that this point is approaching very rapidly.

I wish I was a younger man with a little more capital and time because I have the solution and I would be doing to YouTube what I did to the online news marketplace back in 1999 when 7am News really shook things up through the use of disruptive technology.

Ah well, if someone with the time and money wants to do it, I'll gladly lend them a hand. Maybe I'll make a video about that.

In the meantime, grab some popcorn, sit back and watch as yet another "too big to fail" enterprise finds itself in the same position as so many that have gone before it and allowed greed to destroy its market position, perhaps even its very ability to survive.

Carpe Diem folks!

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