YouTube is officially allowing its American users to stream thousands of free, ad-supported episodes of popular TV shows for the first time. In an announcement, YouTube is unveiling episodes from shows like Hell’s Kitchen and Unsolved Mysteries, immediately placing them in competition with over-the-air TV and streaming services.
Fan can expect YouTube to feature around 4,000 free TV episodes on top of the already 1,500 films made available earlier this month. Of course, YouTube allows fans to stream for free in the US only with ads on films including Gone in Sixty Seconds, Runaway Bride and Legally Blonde. By offering dozens of episodes from multiple series, the platform is tapping into the binge-watching culture that many streaming platforms like Netflix rely on to gain popularity.
This move marks yet another attempt for YouTube to compete with other platforms on content. There is no word on if this initiative will expand beyond the US.
Elsewhere in entertainment, Steven Spielberg has praised Netflix’s Squid Game, says it “changes the math entirely.”
Tagged: ENTERTAINMENT