YouTube considering sub service

YOUTUBE GOING PAY-TO-PLAY? YouTube is considering the creation of a premium, subscription-based video service, Claire Atkinson reports in the N.Y. Post. The Google-owned video colossus is holding conversations with program providers about adding more top-shelf content to its channels but putting it behind a pay-wall, sources told the reporter. The new subscription model would satisfy owners of high-end programming in sports, music and entertainment who’ve so far declined to provide videos under YouTube’s advertising-only business model. Said a YouTube spokesman: “We have long maintained that different content requires different types of payment models. The important thing is that, regardless of the model, our creators succeed on the platform and viewers find more content to watch. There are a lot of our content creators that believe they would benefit from subscriptions.” YouTube already offers movie rentals as part of a separate subscription VOD service, while Google has a venture called Google Play, where customers can pay to access movies, music and books. (5/11a)