During the ongoing Coronavirus Lockdown, internet consumption has been drastically increased in various countries. With the increase in internet consumption, comes the increase in content consumption. Media streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and YouTube have seen a huge bump in traffic in the last month. To even drag more traffic, YouTube has announced that it will be allowing free streaming of its original shows.
The platform is currently opting the access only for select shows and not all that are available. These YouTube Originals include Escape The Night, Step Up: High Water, Matpat's Game Lab, Impulse, Sherwood, Sideswiped, The Sidemen Show, Foursome, Me and My Grandma, F2 Finding Football, Overthinking with Kat & June and The Fake Show. Apart from these, YouTube will also soon unlock We Are Savvy, Hyperlinked, Fruit Ninja Frenzy Force and Kings of Atlantis.
Susanne Daniels, YouTube's global head of original content told Variety, “With a diverse collection of fan-favourite YouTube originals now available to stream for free, we are continuing to promote safety while offering our users of all ages entertainment across the globe.”
These YouTube Orignal shows are available only for users with a YouTube Premium subscription. However, with free access, anyone can head over to YouTube and start watching these shows. While YouTube has not shared a fixed date for the free program, it will remain in effect for a limited period.
Once the free program is lifted, users will need to get the YouTube Premium subscription to access the content. Currently, the Premium subscription is available for Rs. 129 per month in India.