YouTube planning to make all future original programming available to users for free

YouTube has not disclosed the total number of subscribers for the paid offering. YouTube plans to make all future original programming available to users for free with advertising, as the video streaming unit of Alphabet Inc’s Google seeks a bigger audience for shows and movies that had mostly been restricted to paid subscribers. The shift in strategy means that starting next year, YouTube Premium will no longer have exclusive access to original programs, removing one of the main benefits of the subscription offering. It said its move to make programming free was aimed at satisfying growing international user interest in original programming and advertiser demand to associate with special content. The dozens of previously released shows and movies in YouTube Premium, such as the first season of popular action comedy “Cobra Kai,” will remain behind the paywall, the company said.