With greater than 2 million subscribers and a faithful fanbase that spanned from the early 2010s to now, many individuals is perhaps questioning why Watcher is leaving YouTube. The leisure media firm made a shocking transfer on Friday, April 19, 2024, which shocked and angered longtime followers.
Watcher Leisure was based by Buzzfeed Video alumni Steven Lim, Ryan Bergara, and Shane Madej. The three had very profitable video sequence at their time at Buzzfeed— with Bergara and Madej spearheading the true crime and paranormal sequence Unsolved, whereas Lim partnered with fellow Buzzfeed creators Andrew Ilnyckyj and Adam Bianchi for the sequence Value It. Each sequence garnered greater than 2 billion views whole. The three give up their full-time jobs as staff at Buzzfeed and had been contractors on their respective exhibits.
On the identical time, they introduced that they’d begin their very own leisure firm in January 2020. Shane Madej mentioned, “Madej, “Our purpose is to offer a very well-rounded leisure expertise that speaks to new and present followers alike.” Their content material was much like what that they had at BuzzFeed. Madej and Bergara began their very own paranormal investigations with Ghost Recordsdata and Lim continued his meals sequence with exhibits like Dish Granted.
On April 19, Watcher made a video saying that they’d be leaving YouTube and can be posting their movies on their very own streaming platform. Full seasons of latest exhibits will likely be out there solely on a brand new streaming service (watchertv.com) — priced at $5.99/month or $59.99/12 months. Nevertheless, Watcher followers had been fast to name the creators out about how they had been finishing up their plan.
Why was Watcher leaving YouTube within the first place?
Watcher was leaving YouTube as a result of increasing their workers and creating high quality content material for his or her viewers. “By way of the place this firm goes and the place I imagine we may be most profitable, YouTube is not the place for that,” says Lim within the video titled “Goodbye Youtube.”
“From the very begin of Watcher, our purpose was to make television-quality unscripted content material, and whereas YouTube helped us begin that journey, the one approach we are able to totally notice that imaginative and prescient is to do it on our personal platform,” Bergara mentioned. “So whereas it’s scary to go away a spot that has been an incredible residence to us, we all know that it is a danger value taking, similar to leaving BuzzFeed was again in 2019.”
He additionally identified that fifty% of their enterprise comes from promoting. “We’re making one thing for 2 audiences — we’re making it for followers, all of you on the market, and we’re additionally making it to please the advertisers. It’s troublesome to make the stuff that we wish to make and likewise then attraction to the advertisers as effectively.”
Bergara mentioned, “We actually couldn’t be extra excited for you guys to affix us on this subsequent chapter — hopefully. We’d love for you guys to return alongside for us. However on the identical time, that is our closing goodbye to YouTube. And if it’s our goodbye to you — I hope it’s not, however whether it is — I do wish to say ‘thanks’ for supporting us all alongside the best way.”
Why had been followers mad that Watcher is leaving YouTube?
Followers took to the video’s feedback and social media to precise their anger at Watcher’s choice. One fan mentioned, “gonna be trustworthy, I’ve been watching Ryan and Shane because the starting of Buzzfeed days. I’ve watched them weekly for YEARS now, however I can’t justify paying for one more streaming platform only for Watcher exhibits. that is actually unhappy 🙁 suppose you’re gonna lose a variety of your viewers tbh.”
“With actually one Youtube ballot this complete factor might’ve been prevented” YouTube person @chloehepperle5886 commented. One other identified how they couldn’t afford one other streaming platform out of the country @zarishhassan5286 wrote, “You guys do realise you could have a global viewers too proper? How am i speculated to pay for six {dollars} for a service when after i alter it to my forex it’s greater than the price of groceries? Your American viewers can barely afford it, how will your worldwide viewers afford it in any respect? Did a single crucial thought really go into the choice or did you suppose your complete viewers was American or one thing?”
How did Watcher reply to fan backlash?
Watcher posted a response video on April 22, 2024 titled “An Replace.” “We tousled. Numerous you got here ahead with extraordinarily legitimate feedback and considerations,” Lim mentioned. “We’ve been studying the stuff you’re saying and we’re sorry for the best way we dealt with this,” Madej continued. “We perceive the place you’re coming from and we’re making speedy modifications. ”
Bergara affirmed that their followers are the rationale why they make their very own content material and had been extremely grateful for them. “We’re sorry for the way we initially delivered our goodbye to YouTube. We had been insensitive,” he mentioned. “We did a nasty job of explaining the reasoning behind this transition.”
“We didn’t wish to compromise our content material to make sure they met promoting necessities,” Bergara continued. “And we positively didn’t wish to lay individuals off which have introduced Watcher to life behind the scenes. And we didn’t wish to carry Watcher to a detailed, which might have occurred if we stayed solely on YouTube.”
“That’s why we determined to launch the platform in order that we as an organization might proceed, we might pay our workers pretty, and never solely proceed to make nice content material for you however increase with new exhibits, new voices, all ad-free,” Madej defined.
Watcher defined their compromise the place they’d publish movies on YouTube a month after it has premiered on the Watcher platform. The trio additionally defined that individuals who have subscribed to the brand new streaming platform will also be totally refunded in the event that they select to take action.
