For the first time, YouTube will allow users in the US to stream thousands of free, ad-supported TV shows like Hell’s Kitchen, Heartland and Unsolved Mysteries, the company announced. That will put it in competition with OTA (over-the-air) TV and streaming services with advertising tiers like Peacock, Roku Channel, Tubi, and others.
YouTube will offer around 4,000 free TV episodes in addition to the 1,500 films already available. A number of new movie titles were added this month including Gone in Sixty Seconds, Runaway Bride and Legally Blonde, which are now free to stream (US only) with commercials.
With the new TV offerings, YouTube is no doubt hoping to keep American users on its platform. With dozens of episodes across multiple series, users can consume as they would on Netflix and other platforms, although most of the content on offer isn’t what you’d call prestige TV. One of its biggest competitors in this regard is Roku TV, which had a very public dispute with YouTube that was only recently settled.
Until last year, YouTube tried to fill gaps in content with its own programs via YouTube Originals. However, in early 2022 it announced that it would largely abandon those ambitions and focus solely on its Black Voices and YouTube Kids Funds. The program had some success with shows like Cobra Kai but didn’t pose a major threat to services like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix.
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