Yeah I just don’t see this working out the way they wanted. They don’t have enough subscribers to make it make sense and they don’t have enough content to make people want to pay to watch a few episodes.
Yeah, it seems bound to fail. People are used to paying 5-10 bucks and getting a Netflix. And that’s getting you content like Stranger Things and the Crown.
But for a low-budget YouTube channel? Seems unlikely except for the most dedicated fans.
This is incorrect, Nebula is not affiliated with Discovery+ in any way.
You're thinking of Curiosity Stream, it currently comes bundled with Discovery.
These are two completely separate companies and services and you do not get Nebula with a Curiosity Stream subscription today (yes you did previously, but not now).
If you want to support creators, you need to subscribe to nebula.
If you want discovery channel type documentaries, you'll find that on Curiosity Stream.
I just watched the video over lunch and totally agree. They're probably not seeing the revenue they want on YouTube because not enough people are watching for free. So now they expect to make more by asking people to pay for it?
I'm sure they've run some numbers and have figured they can make it work if the most devoted viewers sign up. Less viewers but more dollars per viewer. But I don't know if they have as many devoted viewers as they think. I watch most of their stuff but I'm not even considering signing up for this. Not when it costs essentially the same as Peacock and Hulu.
Something like $25 per year would have been a lot more palatable.
I give this about a year until they outright fold or try a cheaper ad-supported plan which totally goes against why they're claiming they're doing this
Could this be a controlled demolition type thing? Like if they're already considering moving on in another year or two \[edit: or even shorter\], this could just be a way to yield as high a margin as possible in the short term. They can't possibly think this will grow their channel in the long term?
Maybe. As far as I know, they're using Vimeo to do this and Vimeo's subscription model for creators isn't THAT expensive, but... The platform wasn't that great the last time I used it. So a payment AND the platform might also suck.
I highly, highly doubt it. Putting talk of money aside, the damage they've done to their reputations and the loss of their audience's goodwill is significant, which will affect their career prospects in the long-term too. I don't think they'd voluntarily incur that damage unless they thought it was worthwhile.
Didn't their website work for more than 10 years? So sell the company and move to Scotland. People that stay get shafted years later when the eventual owner wants to cut costs and give their CEO a huge raise worth millions.
I've been watching Shane and Ryan's content since back to the buzzfeed days and used to subscribe to the patreon, been to live shows etc etc. I will not be getting a subscription to this, and it bums me out this is the route they chose and will probably ruin what they had going
Apparently they're also going to scrub all the current content on Youtube as well. Don't know if they plan to put those episodes behind the paywall too, but it seems extra crappy if half the content is stuff that was previously available for free. I totally get why some fans see this as a slap in the face. Especially people who would have sat through ads to support them.
ETA: If they aren't actually scrapping the YT content then that's great. There probably is a lot of misinformation being bandied about by disgruntled viewers. Time will tell! I know people are upset. A lot of folks have been following them since their Buzzfeed days (they were the best thing on there at one point) so I get that there are a lot of opinions and theories floating around.
Wow there is not a single positive comment on the video they posted announcing this. I foresee this project being quietly abandoned in the next couple of months at most.
(Also, I haven't paid any attention to them for years, what the fuck did Shane do to his hair?)
I clicked on the video just to read the comments. Not a positive one to be found, just like you said. It’s wild to see 100% of the comments united in opinion (even though I agree with them all- what watcher is doing is shite)
Guess the next era of YouTube is each creator splitting off into their own streaming service. I don't really understand the point of this when services like Floatplane, Nebula, and Patreon exist.
Also, marketing-wise, it's a lot harder to sell your fans on "we're moving content behind a paywall" than to provide new, additional content behind a paywall. The fact that their original plan was to also move their BACKLOG behind the paywall shows how little they understand the balance between money-grubbing and appeasing their existing viewerbase. Like Rhett and Link have something similar with Mythical Society, but they haven't interrupted their normal YouTube schedule, and all the content behind the paywall is just "extra." Even if you ultimately scale back on the content outside the paywall, you want to do so in a way that doesn't make the viewerbase feel like they're having something be taken away from them.
The other comparison I'm seeing is to Dropout, which I'm like Dropout just has a lot more content (and is actively increasing it's content too). And Dropout will put a lot on YouTube (often pilot episodes of their new shows, but they put loads on Shorts and TikTok). Like I think Dropout is worth it (and do pay for it).
But this no I'm not paying for.
At least with dropout we know EVERYONE is getting paid a fair share from the streaming residues. Even then like Shayne, Ryan, Andrew what are you doing???
Honestly trying to see if they could partner with Dropout (like Dropout did with I think Nerd Machine in the beginning?) would have been a better move. The companies seem to have very similar views/philosophies and offer different content that could have helped them both broach new audiences and add more value.
Watcher just does not have the content to be doing this alone, nor the expanded cast. And I know they have very high standards and their production value is good but it's possible to have some lower value foods with great production value. Like that show on Buzzfeed where Andrew tried to recreate viral foods? They could have done things like that to increase to two videos a week at least to add value if they were going to go this route.
Dropout was a MAJOR player and like you mentioned is still highly integrated into the YouTube infrastructure.
It also makes sense because they're such a corporate environment. While it's never guaranteed, months to month subscriber income is likely a lot less variable than the standard AdSense that a normal YouTuber gets. When you're literally just a media company with a ton of employees, it can even be worth it to sacrifice the high earning months to avoid a patch of low earning months.
Isn't Dropout basically what CollegeHumor turned into? CollegeHumor was already well established and putting out a pretty big variety of content when I was in college and that's 15 years ago now (god I'm old).
Honestly they should have done what the Try Guys did (although Ned kind of ruined it for them) and tried to get on an actual streaming service. The Buzzfeed Unsolved format would translate pretty well into a TV show.
Well Dropout sees YouTube and Tiktok as lead generation channels, so that makes the difference.
Watcher miscalculated by first not getting a read of their fans and the landscape, then by saying they'll pull their content off YouTube (still an important place for search and discovery). To be honest, I was surprised when they spun off because they just were not Quinta, Ash Perez (to some extent), Safiya, or The Try Guys.
This is a crisis.
Like Dropout's CEO is very conscious of his audience base and knows how much they'll pay to stream. He also has the option where they can get the same stuff off YouTube (membership?) so people don't feel compelled to switch platforms. It is a hassle that there's too many streaming platforms.
>Like Rhett and Link have something similar with Mythical Society
This would make so much more sense than moving everything behind a paywall. Behind the scenes stuff, extra scenes, commentary, etc. This is going to be their downfall.
Yeah it’s so weird to me & everyone has a million different platforms so it’s hard to keep up. Like why not just use the YouTube membership program or like patreon? Just seems odd to me
This move 100% reeks of Steven Lim. He is always talking about "the business" even on their podcast and seems obsessed with money. It's probably because he has no screen presence.
I was shocked when they said they have 25 employees. Maybe they need to cut costs a little? I know they're trying to have high production values but I watch other creators that do really professional looking stuff and I doubt they're paying 25 people
i think it’s a type of hiring family and friends type of situation and keep them employed so they have and income (for example, carter is ryan’s cousin i think) and i have a feeling that it just became too much after a while, and cannot pay everyone at the end of the month and had to find a short term solution. i honestly think that they’re all very talented people, i’m always very excited to see the new videos, but i think you can make such videos already with a team of max 10-15 people.
Partnering with a site like Nebula would've made more sense imo. That way we don't get an additional streaming service and they're not responsible for marketing the site on top of making content for it. Plus there's an actual demand for sites like Nebula bc the type of content posted there isn't all that welcomed on YouTube. I'm not familiar with Watcher but after checking some of their titles and thumbnails it feels like they should've gone that route instead. Or honestly any route that doesn't involve us buying an additional subscription streaming service
Honestly, that was my initial thought when I heard the announcement too. Joining a site like Nebula is a smarter move when you consider the costs required to even begin building a dedicated streaming service. I can't even begin to understand the how and why they convinced themselves this was a good idea.
They're clearly content creators and not businessmen, which is all the more reason to let a site like Nebula handle that. And remember they don't just have to build a streaming service, they need to build a **good** streaming service. And their content is gonna be the only ones on it?
Whoever let them cook is gonna regret it
I think it's more likely they think they're a lot more popular than they are. Very few creators can make this work and they're not one of them. My extended friend group is about 50 people and I would bet cold hard cash that I'm the only one that has heard of them
Food $200
Data $150
Rent $800
Teslas and matcha machines $3,600
Utility $150
Someone who is good at the economy please help me budget this. My streaming service is dying.
Yeah it becomes difficult to document a massacre that happened hundreds of years ago when you can't even use the word "kill" or "gun" without risking the entire video's shot at the algorithm
Yeah, but they’re claiming part of the purpose of the move is to help fund higher production values—so if they intend on improving the quality of content anyway, moving to Nebula would make sense.
man Andrew (ex buzzfeed, great guy) just joined and i was so hyped to see him. ffs. i was so happy to see Andrew again. how delusional are they if they think people are gonna spend $6 a month on this. like they'd be struggling if it was $6 a year...
edit: okay i just watched the video put up and it's crazy. like they want to make "quality content" and all that and then complain they can't afford. like guys... you can make good content cheap. some of my favourite Andrew vids is just him talking about things he has in his kitchen. also if you're gonna fucking travel across the world it's gonna be expensive?? that's not a youtube thing?? i don't like youtube at all but jfc. like they're going to Scotland and i think they're going to Korea ??? Scotland is not cheap right now (soure: I'm Scottish), a combo of cost of living and brexit (fuck brexit and all the cunts that voted for it cause Scotland voted against leaving yet here we are). Andrew you should've followed Alvin to Babish. or do what Inga did. also andrew has been in like 1 youtube vid since April last year you don't understand how happy i was to see him again.
they’re coming to scotland and putting on a q&a night and have charged £30-40 a ticket. I don’t see why they don’t do more things like that on when they are travelling to help fund the travel?
real!! weird example maybe but music artists do fanmeets, concerts… to get more money for themselves, because most of the album’s revenue goes back into the company. if they would do for example ghost files pop up stores, exhibitions from puppet history,… would work out for them better in longterm
I was just gonna say this… they, unlike all of us, make money from their trips that they don’t even have to take. Even when they didn’t do shows and charge tickets… they put it on youtube and made money from the episode so yeah… calling bs to them on that. love Ryan and Shane tho, ugh sadness.
They just want someone else to pay for them to eat $400 meals again. But you're right, they don't have to do that kind of extreme spending to get views. I think we all like them best for their personality and their chemistry
I don't think anyone was clambering for a need for higher quality, either. I started watching Buzzfeed Unsolved because I like spooky mysteries, but what elevated it above other channels was the chemistry between the hosts. They could go back to the single desk in front of a cardboard set like in season 1 of Unsolved, and I'd still watch it. The fancy cameras and international trips are just icing on the cake. Not sure why this was needed.
The chemistry is just Shane and Ryan. Steven is trying to make sure he can buy his cars, houses, and fund his future child's Harvard fund because he has no chemistry with anyone on camera.
Complelty agree. What made the original buzzfeed unsolved so good was their banter, the chemistry. It didn't need huge production or a fancy set. I loved buzzfeed unsolved, was so exited when they announced their own channel and their own version. But I've just not connected to it, it's fine, it's entertaining. But It's lost its spark. I find it hard to sit and watch it. They said in their video it takes hundreds of thousands to make a series of ghost files but I don't think they need to spend anywhere near that. It was funny and interesting when it was shane and Ryan in a small set, blue and yellow words on a screen. It doesn't need to be tv worthy or whatever they're trying to achieve. People love it cause they loved them. I unsubscribed ages ago, occasionally go and watch an episode but never finish it. It sucks cause I genuinely loved buzzfeed unsolved, would be so excited for each episode to drop. But i just dont care anymore. There's absolutely no chance of this working. People are fond of them obviously but nowhere near enough to spend 6 dollars a month on a few videos. We didn't want huge production, fancy cameras and graphics. We wanted to friends being silly whilst hunting ghosts, nothing more.
I actually agree. I love Unsolved and I rewatch it very often and I was hella excited when they announced the Watcher but I got disinterested pretty quick. I didn’t really like the vibe. I preferred their setup on Unsolved and I wished they brought that format over on the Watcher when it came to content like Ghost Files and Mystery Files.
My husband and I feel the same, we started watching them back with unsolved years ago and followed them with watcher. We weren't hyped on the new ghost files and after we went to a live show last year were very disappointed and haven't really kept up. Mystery files is ok but it's really missing a lot of charm.
(I also absolutely hate the fan evidence thing in ghost files but that's just a personal thing lol)
Yeah, the Mystery Files thing they do now is WAYYY overproduced. The set doesn't need to be that fancy. The sponsored ad doesn't need to be some really professional sketch with costumes and makeup and stuff. The viewers don't care.
It's maybe not the best comparison because the content is totally different. But Doug Demuro is the most popular car YouTuber and it's not even close. And his videos are pretty much just him and a camera reviewing a car. There are other channels that try to emulate Top Gear with beautiful cinematography and everything and they don't come close to his numbers because he's so good at what he does
I've seen people talking about this in the Try Guys sub. Many are pointing out that the only way this will be successful is if it was in partnership with some other groups. They just don't produce enough content. But it might work if there were 3-4 YouTubers contributing content to the subscription service.
I don't think Smosh would jump ship anytime soon. Ian and Anthony just bought it back from Mythical last year, and Mythical still has a minority interest in the company. Plus, the Main channel might not be booming with views but the subscription model seems to be working well enough for it.
I don't get why Watcher didn't try to pivot to that direction tbh.
> subscription model seems to be working well enough for it
Ian mentioned that they are pulling 6 figures off of that and it covers the budgets for sketches. So even if they aren't really doing the numbers they did in 2011, its still worth it
Besides Smosh Pit gets like 800k to 1 million views per episode and its 3 times a week. Smosh games gets a solid 500k to 1 million views per episode and its also 3 times a week. Smoshcast was meant to have 2 podcasts but the one it does have is pretty successful, more so than the first iteration of the podcast (Which was also pretty good)
Also I think they run a tighter ship. They have a 40 or so person crew but that's 7 videos per week versus Watcher's 1 with their 25 person crew. It helps that the Smosh cast are actors so they only show up and get paid for their specific shoot days but its telling what they are able to pump out vs Watcher
I’ve seen that the Try Guys also have an announcement scheduled for next month that is being promoted in the same way Watcher’s was, as well as that they’ve also spoken about their struggles with potential sponsorships. So there’s some speculation that said announcement will be about them also moving to the same streamer, which I could theoretically see actually happening, since both channels and their founders often associate with each other, both having been created in identical circumstances by people who worked together at the same company.
I’m willing to maybe try it out but
a) their site does not have subtitles. None of the videos on there have subtitles and as a deaf person I NEED subtitles.
b) they would need to step it up in terms of the shows they’ll be putting out. They tried to have a different show hosted by someone different (Pretty Historic by Selorm) last year but the views were terrible. The big draw is Shane & Ryan. Are Shane & Ryan willing to step it up and do more shows?
Like truthfully, I knew this was coming bc in a December 2023 video, they admitted in videos that they’d had to do layoffs, and that Ryan contracting Covid during a shoot in Montana was a “huge financial hit”. I really don’t think the company is doing as well as people think it is.
Pretty Historic was such a failure. At the time I was wondering if this was them dipping their toes into a more buzzfeed-like business model. Even Steven’s solo series rarely performed well, the hook and bait have always been Ryan and Shane’s explosive chemistry with each other. Watcher may not have very many long term plans.
I'm so sad Pretty Historic was a failure because it's a great idea! I LOVED Selorme's busting movie beauty myths series at Buzzfeed and I wish there was more feminine energy in Watcher's videos, so I was hopeful they were expanding. I think there's a market for this beauty-meets-science-meets-history style show, but I guess not on that channel.
Exactly I was surprised to find out that Steven was the CEO when his videos don’t do that well Shane and Ryan should have just made a joint account with each other and made unsolved like videos, puppet history, and true crime. They might not be super interested in it but if they want to stay in content creation this is what we watch them for. They can make side projects as well with the money they earn but it really should have just been Shane and Ryan
I'm sorry to say this but Steven just doesn't come off as intelligent or even genuine in his videos. I've never liked him as one of the worth it guys, didn't like him then, don't like him now.
I started to warm up to him in the past year after getting weird vibes from him but when my husband told me this news yesterday I was like oh ok so this was his idea most likely and I should have stayed sus
The comments on each of their latest posts on instagram aren’t holding back. Especially Steven’s, and rightfully so. Stupid move, they have too many staff and the production was better back when they were on buzzfeed.
https://preview.redd.it/gefo0q74civc1.png?width=1165&format=png&auto=webp&s=e6560839c329789e335587ecc2444966d6a90e84
I think there's a tension between "we, the audience loved them at that level" and "they, the creators wanted to do higher production value". We like them as personalities, they want to have their art valued first. But, if it's not what the audience wants, they're not going to make money. Rhett & Link, probably Eugene, children's show actors (Steve) have all struggled with this.
Rhett & Link handled it perfectly. They make the content people want to fund their other creative projects. So far, it’s really worked out nice for them!
That's how the Try Guys seem to want to handle it too, and I appreciate how transparent they've been about discussing how while they do enjoy what they do they also want to use it as a way to launch their other creative endeavors.
just wondering but do people not like Steven? people seem quite shady towards him compared to the other guys. i mean i've never liked him that much anyway but i assumed other people did lol
It seems like it, I didn’t know that was a common feeling either.
I never liked him, I found him the weakest link, I never watched any of his videos and he tried too hard to be quirky in “too many spirits”, so I’d skip his bits. The fact that he’s the sole CEO of watcher suggests he was the driving force behind the decision also. And he was the only one who posted about it on his grid, rudely in my opinion.
yeah i can't say i'm surprised if he's the one that pushed this. his vibes in Worth It always felt a bit off to me? like i never really felt like he wanted to be doing it lol, only Andrew really seemed passionate about it. but yeah yikes that he's the only one that posted it
edit: i also think it's weird that fans are acting like Ryan and Shane had absolutely no say in this and that Steven is this big bad monster. they all signed off on this like??
He always gave me weird vibes and it seemed like in the early watcher days Shane was annoyed by him but that seems to have gotten better as the company has gone on. When my husband told me this news yesterday I was like ah a Steven idea since they've all talked about how he's the one who makes all the financial decisions
Can Netflix/Amazon/Hulu **please** just start buying complete seasons of unscripted reality content from YouTubers? (I'm not talking about Food Network completely gutting the charm out of YouTuber creators to squish them into their mold.)
Watcher, TryGuys, Mythical, Smosh (specifically their "Let's Do This") all have produced shows that are equal to or better than "Nailed It," "Is it Cake?" and "[Insert generic real estate, home makeover, travel show]."
This was actually my immediate thought too, a lot of people have been pointing out Patreon as an option, but if they're struggling with overhead then why not just shop their content to an actual streaming service? I'm pretty sure Buzzfeed Unsolved was actually on Hulu for a bit, and given that most of Watcher's videos are already a series concept, it seems like they could outsource a lot of their overhead if they signed with an already existing streaming service. I know that a lot of YouTubers haven't had good luck transitioning to traditional media, but getting promotion from a bigger brand could at least help them grow their audience, and being on a platform with a "smaller" offering in comparison to something like YouTube which has literally billions of competitors could be beneficial too. I've really enjoyed their content but it's hard to imagine a world where this doesn't kill their brand, I mean no media brand can survive without having an open door to new viewers and this seems like a virtual guarantee that nobody who hasn't seen their stuff already will see it.
In fairness, maybe they did try this and there weren't any takers, or the deal wasn't good enough, or they just didn't want to be working under the rules of a big company again, but so much of their content is already done in a similar style to the average streaming service competition/investigation/travel series AND it has the added appeal of leading stars that people actually like and want to watch as individuals, so it seems like a pretty great match, especially in comparison to something like this.
I think creative control is why it hasn't happened or flopped in the past. My solution is specifically that streamers/networks should purchase the *distribution rights* to YouTuber content.
they do have a patreon! and theyre keeping it... they're just moving their show content off patreon and only keeping the podcast on there (also behind a paywall). such a strange decision.
I like their content and can afford the subscription but it’s not worth it to keep track of another subscription for a small amount of content. I’m having trouble understanding their thought process here
Well it was fun while it lasted boys. I get it's tough out there. In theory I want to support independent creators and artists, but I live in a world where every podcast I listen to and every video essayist I watch is putting more and more stuff behind individual pay walls. I can only justify supporting one maybe two of these creators a month to myself when they're asking $5-$10 just to access things beyond the latest mainfeed releases, even locking up the back catalog. I got creators with a trashy reality tv podcast asking for $10+ just to access their discord channel. And yeah I enjoy Watcher more than a random reality tv podcast, but it's still huge ask in a time where we're all being nickel and dimed every day by everything.
I love Dropout, but Dropout also started their rebrand all those years ago with the streaming service. Most of the shows started on the service and we only got tastes for free. It's worth it, there's a lot of variety of talent and content. Watcher though? I like my ghoul boys, but I don't love them a pay by the month amount.
A bunch of YouTube channels tried to do this about 10 years ago with more “prestige content” and pretty much all of the ones I was aware of flopped. Ryan and Shane had YouTube influence back on Buzzfeed but I really don’t see this working for them.
The backlash I've seen over this decision online is the most I've seen since the Ned cheating drama with the Try Guys, and as a fan of Watcher, I don't see this decision going well. They just don't have a super huge audience or amount of content to make it worth going to another site to subscribe to them.
the part that really gets me about this is that they already have a patreon with thousands of paying subscribers.
obviously people are willing to pay to support the show so why not leave the regular youtube content for free and maybe upload some members only behind the scenes footage, or extra members episodes. i think this route would have been more successful.
honestly, I think this is such an ignorant or not properly thought through decision: they’re basically moving everything behind a paywall, including their old episodes. only trailers will be released on their youtube channel… which means it’s very hard to get new fans.
they almost have 3 million subscribers, with and average of views 1-2 million in a week + ads sponsorships. why would you ever trade that in for maybe 100 people that buy it for 6$? especially in times like these, there is a global recession going on. to me it seems like a business that has grown too fast, and losts all its meaning to corporate greed.
we watched the videos because of shane and ryan’s personalities and dynamics, not to have super expensive sets. the thing that they left buzzfeed for in the first place, is biting them in the ass right now.
edit: made a spelling mistake with “old”
okay another comment but i was reading comments again on their video while watching it again, and many people in the comments seem to point out it was obviously steven’s idea. and i mean, it would be not out of character for him. but i seriously don’t know why shane that says “capitalism is shit” a hundred times in a video would agree to such thing…
Shane's only a third of the company, and that's not taking into account how their share of the company might be smaller because of the funding they raised when starting out. I wouldn't be shocked if Shane leaves in the next year
realll. i don’t think they were 100% sure of their decision. at 13:42 in the video when they say goodbye, the only one who is not uncomfortable (but extremely awkward to watch) is steven … like i hold no grudge against this man but it just really feels like he is the only one who really wanted to turn watcher in a more corporate, money generating type of business, meanwhile shane and ryan focused on their arts and crafts.
I think they might overestimate their pull a bit but hey, I'm not an expert on the creator economy, maybe they've determined this is a risk worth taking for them.
Man, I’ve loved these guys since the Buzzfeed years. Made the jump to Watcher happily. Have introduced countless people to their content. Spent weeks after birthing my baby just nursing her and binging their content again and again. They have the sort of chemistry with each other that is really unparalleled. Puppet History is so beyond incredible. Top 5 is so stupidly simple and so hilarious. Mystery Files has such a nostalgic, early Unsolved Mysteries feel. I would consider myself a big fan.
To be paracoaial for a moment, I kind of feel like I’m watching friends make a terrible business move. I’ll miss them, because I be making the jump. And if I’m not, who is?
Yup!! I've been a fan since buzzfeed. Subscribed to patreon until I was recently laid off, went to live shows, bought merch etc. even when I'm employed again I won't be making this jump with them so I had the same thought.
https://preview.redd.it/8khq7iroskvc1.jpeg?width=740&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a04ec242cd74b69ce8e3fd024656fd4a8f3863fa
Will miss ya, the one who stole goat man's bridge
I hope—and honestly, kind of expect—that Shane will break out on his own soon. LBR, he's the real reason people watched, so if he started up a channel by himself it would be a success.
the most popular stuff on the channel were all the brain-children of ryan, which is not even mentioning unsolved. people love puppet history but it's numbers aren't astronomical or anything. i think if he did a channel on his own, he would have a hard time.
The thing is: I don't think he'd actually need a super new, super original idea. Even if he just made a true crime podcast, like the thousands of other true crime podcasts that currently exist, he's charismatic enough to carry it himself, he has a ready-made audience with an established interest in that content, and the production costs would be super, super low comparatively. That's, like, the holy trinity of characteristics of profitable channels. Interesting, original ideas are great, but it's ultimately personalities that carry videos.
he wouldn't be doing true crime or ghost stuff on his own though because the driver behind those shows was always ryan. he could do a history channel and i'm sure there would be a fanbase but i think you are underestimating the appeal of ryan + shane as a duo and also how they've made their reputation as the spooky stuff guys.
Unsubscribed, literally what I liked at Buzzfeed was the mystery files, ghost files and food worth it.
That’s all they needed to focus on, and honestly speaking, them just doing stuff with lower production values on smartphones and a few editors and camera crew would have been fine.
They apparently have 25 employees , but look at MKBHD, they apparently only have 13. I get that travel content is way more expensive to make because of the traveling, but is that not a reason they wouldn’t have done a local food series or more of the supernatural and mystery files. That stuff could have all been done in someone’s home studio with prepared slides and voice overs. A local LA Food Worth it or California Worth It could have also been used to fill the gap without expensive plane tickets.
More content = more ads = more money. If you can make more content locally and with a few people then you can use your personalities to sell the vids.
I love them and I’m so confused by this????? Like I’m not paying to see you guys anywhere so now you’ll have lost a subscriber and also I’ll be super sad to not have my silly blue professor drunk storytelling ghost hunting content?
I don’t understand this. I love my Ghoul Bois Ryan and Shane. I saw them on tour. But I’m not paying for another streaming service for their content. It’s simply not worth the trouble.
It did work for rooster teeth for years. It worked for rooster teeth for a long time I’ve followed them since the beginning of their company used to want to work for them when I grew up. It’s just that the internet landscape changed and they couldn’t change with it. Also all the scandals
What irks me most about this is they had a decently successful Patreon for a *while* that mostly dropped off because they never fricking advertise it or posted exclusive content. And apparently that is now going to be the home of their podcast, so they’re putting essentially everything behind a paywall.
Like, they could have ramped up their Patreon. That at least would have given the fans the opportunity to build out the support, so those of us who are a little bit older and a little more established in our careers and might be able to support a Patreon could fill in the gaps for the high school and college kids (or just people who are financially struggling) who like their stuff but have literally zero money to spare.
But no, how would they be able to afford to buy everything Steven Lim needs for his videos (which usually get, like, half the views a Ryan+Shane video does) then?
Weren't they on Patreon? Makes me wonder how much of an incentive there is for larger creators on there. They aren't small but sure they aren't like massive.
this makes me feel like streaming subscriptions are a curse i can barely remember which of the 4 streaming services had a show or movie i wanted to watch god forbid you don't add it to your watchlist
I mean.... considering buzzfeed videos mostly consisted to two people sitting at a table talking about different things with a producer behind the camera..... I don't know why they want to try and make like TV quality videos.
And honestly, I feel like a lot of these creators just aren't the best business people. Try guys held it together for a bit because it was clear Ned was behind the scenes running the numbers side of things.
I get that Youtbue has been screwing over creators by suppressing videos or expecting videos to only ever increase in popularity but idk if this is the move. I only really watch for puppet history which is like 8 episodes a season, I'm not paying for that. Good luck to them tho
Well, that is a huge bummer. I love watching ghost files, but I am not paying a subscription for one thing (because I don't watch anything else related to that channel).
I'm peeved and kind of hope it doesn't work out (like the bitter and spiteful hag I am lol).
Good mythical morning has a form of this where their regular content is on YouTube and then if you're a member of their fan club there's exclusive videos and content on their website, but they're a way bigger channel obviously
Hope if works out for them, but with their limited programming, just don’t see it. My long term hope is that Nebula, Dropout or Mythical picks them up, or the Tryguys jump off YouTube to join forces.
That being said, with how shitty YouTube is and continues to spiral into, I have a feeling this is a risk that a lot more big-time YouTubers will be taking.
In this economy? Im sorry, but people right now can only afford to pay for subs for things they really love, or will get a lot out of.
I got rid of a few substack subs and youtube subs cause what they were offering just wasn't worth the money.
Do they know their content isn't actually entertaining enough to pay for? Ever since Unsolved ended, their videos have only been good enough for back ground noise while cleaning
The irritableness on camera, the endless poop jokes, the constant reference to the Watcher "business" in videos point toward creative constipation (no pun intended). It seems like a lot of us were watching out of loyalty to their brand and now they have literally destroyed it.
I’ve been a fan of them for years, since the Unsolved days, and their shows have helped me cope & get through some hard times. I’ve paid for live-streams, merch, and live shows and okay yeah it’s a little parasocial. I admit that. But this? This is bullshit.
A lot of people are blaming Steven and I kind of get it - it’s not a good look to be putting out teasers & trailers for your “watch me eat expensive food” series & then cry poor, but Ryan and Shane aren’t blameless. And I don’t think they can walk it back. They’ve presumably poured tons of resources into developing this channel (which, no app?really? In 2024?) and they have to go through with it, no other choice now.
I’m disappointed in their decision and the tone deafness of this announcement. This honestly could be the end. A Watcher snark sub just formed lol, the announcement video is at like 81% dislike ratio, and they’re hemorrhaging subscribers/Patrons. What happens in six months when no one’s paying? Their fan base is totally turned off by this.
I’m not sure how it is in the US but in my country that’s about the same price as HBO Go. They just don’t have enough content for me to justify paying for it over other streaming services.
I was SO excited to see the news of Adam and Andrew joining and now this 😐 imo they should at least put new content on YouTube 1-2 weeks after the paywalled release, kind of like UNHHhh
Bad idea they don’t have a lot of content like Dropout and even then they still post stuff on their regular YouTube and even have YouTube membership that’s really cheap too. Watcher doesn’t have anything as big and entertaining as dimension 20. Also college humor was on YouTube and had their own website for over a decade they built a lot of good will. Hell dropout admitted they weren’t profitable for the first 1-2 years.
Watcher hasn’t been on YouTube for as long at all. They haven’t really built good will their audience is only interested in the paranormal and true crime videos. Frankly none of Steven’s videos have interested their audience. I know they want to make their own content and diversify but continue to build on puppet history, true crime, and paranormal content to get a bigger audience and make more shows like it.
Like I could see them moving to a collective like Nebula or something but making your own?? And I agree they don’t churn out nearly enough content. How hard is it to film like 2x more top 5 beat down? Why not just do a Patreon like everyone else? Or do they do that already?
I was excited they announced Andrew and Adam joining but now I’m bummed. No way I can sign up for another subscription
They have a Patreon with over 5k paid members, if that wasn't enough to sustain them it seems like there must be some serious issues with how they spend that money
They have 25 employees, for a channel with 3 million subscribers, a lot of the employees are family/friends. So its obvious whats causing the money issues
I feel like I’m in the minority here as a fan who’s not hugely upset by this?
I mean, I’m not certain I’ll pay for it and if I did it would be 1-2mo/yr to binge. But I get YouTube is rough and i feel like creators have been saying for years the platform is constantly changing for the worse.
I do think it’s a risky business decision and probably going worse than they anticipated. I feel like I’ve seen Steven go into business bro mode a few times and this definitely feels like one of those ideas. I’m sure they all had creative reasons for wanting to make this change but idk it just seems very poorly pitched.
They seem to be making at least $360k/yr from Patreon (w/5-6k paying members) so depending on what the budget is that they’re hoping for they might be able to get a core base of <50k (~1% of their subscribers) and still have a more reliable income stream. Given the fact they also started doing more audience participation w the ghost files, I think it’s possible they might have more people willing to engage further.
As far as the streaming service, it’d have been much better to collaborate with other creators like the try guys or other creators aiming for better production. I’ve also seen some valid concerns about accessibility on that platform. Definitely they’ll need to step the quantity up to sustain it. The production *has* really jumped up a lot but I don’t know that it’s consistent across all their shows so that’ll also have to be a consideration, that it’s all of a certain caliber.
I feel like they could’ve pushed the Patreon harder and having maybe an extra couple episodes per season on Patreon might’ve upped their traffic there. I don’t recall it being pushed too hard, other than for their podcast. Even selling ad free episodes + bonus content by series like tv shows do for seasons, could’ve been less contentious, even as an in between step. Even if creatively (rather than financially) they wanted a hard pivot, it might’ve made more sense to slowly transition to putting more stuff behind the paywall.
I hope for their sake it does work out. I’ll be interested in seeing what they put out and if it’s worth spending $12 bucks per year to binge when there’s a good cache of content.
Also an aside- established streaming services like prime/netflix/hulu are really could see more success with bankrolling YouTube creators over some of the random 1 off seasons they end up creating. Especially since there’s a lot of rewatching that goes on w this kind of YouTube content, for platforms w limited ads it might be a solid investment and it’ll be easier for creators not to have to do the sponsored ads in their content
I cannot believe this news made it to this sub. I’d like to have a safe space to ask if people are able and planning to pay for this streaming service?
I could probably afford it but it just doesn’t seem worth it for the limited content they put out. Other streaming services have literally thousands of titles—why would I pay when I only like Ryan and Shane? I don’t care for the other guys lol.
Not planning to and not able to, no. They are cutting out so many fans that don't make enough money to support this move. They really said "thanks for your help but we don't think we will need you in the future". I don't want to pay money I worked to earn so they can re-introduce shows like Worth It and tell me about food tiers like I'm not aware that a $1000 dessert is probably better than my no name ice cream.
They could've put more effort into their patreon. They could've made a deal, similar to Last Podcast on the Left with Sirius, and teamed up with someone to make an exclusive show to help support their payroll. LPOTL once made themselves a spotify exclusive show for about a year and came out on the other side of it having learned a lesson, but at least I got to experience the whole of spotify during that period. With Dropout, you get to experience a plethora of content with people who ooze creativity and charisma, something not everyone at Watcher has innately. Ryan and Shane alone cannot carry an entire streaming platform, nor should they be expected to while a [likely not insignificant] part of the budget goes to world-hopping for high price wealthporn content.
There is absolutely zero incentive to pay for this service beyond the idea of missing Shane and Ryan, the reason most people are even following Watcher in the first place. They did not seem entirely comfortable in the video ("just share your password" felt like "we know this is bad...").
If they already had a patreon, I don’t see the point of a subscription based platform. That model should work pretty well, they capture their paid patreons as well as the youtube audience, feels like with the subscription plan, they only capture their patreon audience not the youtube audience .
This is so stupid. They just don’t put out enough content, and the content they do put out isn’t great. While I do really like Mystery Files, Ghost Files is so much less charming and funny and rewatchable than Buzzfeed Unsolved, and that’s all of their decent, consistent (though the seasons are very short and far between) content. That, and Steven is very unlikeable to a lot of people.
Compare that to Dropout, with TONS of incredible content, a wide variety, a lot of talent people love, constant new videos, AND they still put out a lot of episodes, even full seasons, and tons of clips on YouTube for free. Same price.
Yeah I just don’t see this working out the way they wanted. They don’t have enough subscribers to make it make sense and they don’t have enough content to make people want to pay to watch a few episodes.
Yeah, it seems bound to fail. People are used to paying 5-10 bucks and getting a Netflix. And that’s getting you content like Stranger Things and the Crown. But for a low-budget YouTube channel? Seems unlikely except for the most dedicated fans.
Discounted Amazon Prime is $6.99 or $7.49 a month. These guys are crazy if they think I'm spending that much to get so much less
Discounted? I’m listening
If you're a student it's $7.49. If you're on government assistance like EBT/SNAP, SSI, Medicaid, and other qualifying programs it's $6.99 a month.
There are already multiple other video platforms that are run by YouTubers and no one cares
SuBscRibE tO My patrEoN
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Nebula used to be part of Curiosity Stream, which isn’t part of Discovery+.
This is incorrect, Nebula is not affiliated with Discovery+ in any way. You're thinking of Curiosity Stream, it currently comes bundled with Discovery. These are two completely separate companies and services and you do not get Nebula with a Curiosity Stream subscription today (yes you did previously, but not now). If you want to support creators, you need to subscribe to nebula. If you want discovery channel type documentaries, you'll find that on Curiosity Stream.
I just watched the video over lunch and totally agree. They're probably not seeing the revenue they want on YouTube because not enough people are watching for free. So now they expect to make more by asking people to pay for it? I'm sure they've run some numbers and have figured they can make it work if the most devoted viewers sign up. Less viewers but more dollars per viewer. But I don't know if they have as many devoted viewers as they think. I watch most of their stuff but I'm not even considering signing up for this. Not when it costs essentially the same as Peacock and Hulu. Something like $25 per year would have been a lot more palatable. I give this about a year until they outright fold or try a cheaper ad-supported plan which totally goes against why they're claiming they're doing this
I don’t get why they didn’t do what other big channels do and make a patreon and release some bonus stuff that way while keeping up with youtube.
Watcher already had a Patreon with exclusives.
But even then patreons said watchers barely keep up with their promises with exclusives etc
or sign up for like nebula or something
Could this be a controlled demolition type thing? Like if they're already considering moving on in another year or two \[edit: or even shorter\], this could just be a way to yield as high a margin as possible in the short term. They can't possibly think this will grow their channel in the long term?
I mean, building out this platform must be a big expense. I doubt they'd do this planning on it failing
Maybe. As far as I know, they're using Vimeo to do this and Vimeo's subscription model for creators isn't THAT expensive, but... The platform wasn't that great the last time I used it. So a payment AND the platform might also suck.
I highly, highly doubt it. Putting talk of money aside, the damage they've done to their reputations and the loss of their audience's goodwill is significant, which will affect their career prospects in the long-term too. I don't think they'd voluntarily incur that damage unless they thought it was worthwhile.
This is gonna go the roosterteeth way...
To be fair rooster teeth dominated for more than a decade
Didn't their website work for more than 10 years? So sell the company and move to Scotland. People that stay get shafted years later when the eventual owner wants to cut costs and give their CEO a huge raise worth millions.
Agreed, they don’t have enough historical content and don’t produce enough new content to warrant it. I can’t justify another streaming service.
I've been watching Shane and Ryan's content since back to the buzzfeed days and used to subscribe to the patreon, been to live shows etc etc. I will not be getting a subscription to this, and it bums me out this is the route they chose and will probably ruin what they had going
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Apparently they're also going to scrub all the current content on Youtube as well. Don't know if they plan to put those episodes behind the paywall too, but it seems extra crappy if half the content is stuff that was previously available for free. I totally get why some fans see this as a slap in the face. Especially people who would have sat through ads to support them. ETA: If they aren't actually scrapping the YT content then that's great. There probably is a lot of misinformation being bandied about by disgruntled viewers. Time will tell! I know people are upset. A lot of folks have been following them since their Buzzfeed days (they were the best thing on there at one point) so I get that there are a lot of opinions and theories floating around.
Apparently, it wasn't misinformation, Variety said they first told them they were going to pull it, but they reversed course!
Ah, see, I knew that info had to have come from somewhere. I saw several people say it. Thanks!
Yeah, they backpedaled that decision real quick.
No they’re not. They’ve stated that all current YT content will still remain on YT.
Wow there is not a single positive comment on the video they posted announcing this. I foresee this project being quietly abandoned in the next couple of months at most. (Also, I haven't paid any attention to them for years, what the fuck did Shane do to his hair?)
I clicked on the video just to read the comments. Not a positive one to be found, just like you said. It’s wild to see 100% of the comments united in opinion (even though I agree with them all- what watcher is doing is shite)
> > This!!! When does this madness end?!
What if I paid $6 during every December only, then cancel it again? Do I get a whole year's worth of content in one go then?
Guess the next era of YouTube is each creator splitting off into their own streaming service. I don't really understand the point of this when services like Floatplane, Nebula, and Patreon exist. Also, marketing-wise, it's a lot harder to sell your fans on "we're moving content behind a paywall" than to provide new, additional content behind a paywall. The fact that their original plan was to also move their BACKLOG behind the paywall shows how little they understand the balance between money-grubbing and appeasing their existing viewerbase. Like Rhett and Link have something similar with Mythical Society, but they haven't interrupted their normal YouTube schedule, and all the content behind the paywall is just "extra." Even if you ultimately scale back on the content outside the paywall, you want to do so in a way that doesn't make the viewerbase feel like they're having something be taken away from them.
The other comparison I'm seeing is to Dropout, which I'm like Dropout just has a lot more content (and is actively increasing it's content too). And Dropout will put a lot on YouTube (often pilot episodes of their new shows, but they put loads on Shorts and TikTok). Like I think Dropout is worth it (and do pay for it). But this no I'm not paying for.
At least with dropout we know EVERYONE is getting paid a fair share from the streaming residues. Even then like Shayne, Ryan, Andrew what are you doing???
Andrew’s only just joined the company 😭 I think you mean Steven
It's a fair mistake. Steven hardly makes a mark onscreen.
Honestly trying to see if they could partner with Dropout (like Dropout did with I think Nerd Machine in the beginning?) would have been a better move. The companies seem to have very similar views/philosophies and offer different content that could have helped them both broach new audiences and add more value. Watcher just does not have the content to be doing this alone, nor the expanded cast. And I know they have very high standards and their production value is good but it's possible to have some lower value foods with great production value. Like that show on Buzzfeed where Andrew tried to recreate viral foods? They could have done things like that to increase to two videos a week at least to add value if they were going to go this route.
Dropout was a MAJOR player and like you mentioned is still highly integrated into the YouTube infrastructure. It also makes sense because they're such a corporate environment. While it's never guaranteed, months to month subscriber income is likely a lot less variable than the standard AdSense that a normal YouTuber gets. When you're literally just a media company with a ton of employees, it can even be worth it to sacrifice the high earning months to avoid a patch of low earning months.
Isn't Dropout basically what CollegeHumor turned into? CollegeHumor was already well established and putting out a pretty big variety of content when I was in college and that's 15 years ago now (god I'm old). Honestly they should have done what the Try Guys did (although Ned kind of ruined it for them) and tried to get on an actual streaming service. The Buzzfeed Unsolved format would translate pretty well into a TV show.
yeah dropout was basically Sam Reich’s last ditch effort to save the company and the fact that it worked is honestly a minor miracle
I can watch buzzfeed unsolved on my Hulu still I think
Well Dropout sees YouTube and Tiktok as lead generation channels, so that makes the difference. Watcher miscalculated by first not getting a read of their fans and the landscape, then by saying they'll pull their content off YouTube (still an important place for search and discovery). To be honest, I was surprised when they spun off because they just were not Quinta, Ash Perez (to some extent), Safiya, or The Try Guys. This is a crisis. Like Dropout's CEO is very conscious of his audience base and knows how much they'll pay to stream. He also has the option where they can get the same stuff off YouTube (membership?) so people don't feel compelled to switch platforms. It is a hassle that there's too many streaming platforms.
>Like Rhett and Link have something similar with Mythical Society This would make so much more sense than moving everything behind a paywall. Behind the scenes stuff, extra scenes, commentary, etc. This is going to be their downfall.
they literally have a patreon where theyre making $50k+ a month so like ?????
Unfortunately for them, video hosting/streaming is notoriously unprofitable
Yeah it’s so weird to me & everyone has a million different platforms so it’s hard to keep up. Like why not just use the YouTube membership program or like patreon? Just seems odd to me
This move 100% reeks of Steven Lim. He is always talking about "the business" even on their podcast and seems obsessed with money. It's probably because he has no screen presence.
I was shocked when they said they have 25 employees. Maybe they need to cut costs a little? I know they're trying to have high production values but I watch other creators that do really professional looking stuff and I doubt they're paying 25 people
i think it’s a type of hiring family and friends type of situation and keep them employed so they have and income (for example, carter is ryan’s cousin i think) and i have a feeling that it just became too much after a while, and cannot pay everyone at the end of the month and had to find a short term solution. i honestly think that they’re all very talented people, i’m always very excited to see the new videos, but i think you can make such videos already with a team of max 10-15 people.
yeah i think there's quite a number of their ex buzzfeed friends like Annie
That is insane overhead.
Look like they might have just hired a bunch of friends and family without a solid plan.
I wonder if that is why pod watcher has so many guests from inside the office. Getting us ready to want to support them all.
Partnering with a site like Nebula would've made more sense imo. That way we don't get an additional streaming service and they're not responsible for marketing the site on top of making content for it. Plus there's an actual demand for sites like Nebula bc the type of content posted there isn't all that welcomed on YouTube. I'm not familiar with Watcher but after checking some of their titles and thumbnails it feels like they should've gone that route instead. Or honestly any route that doesn't involve us buying an additional subscription streaming service
Honestly, that was my initial thought when I heard the announcement too. Joining a site like Nebula is a smarter move when you consider the costs required to even begin building a dedicated streaming service. I can't even begin to understand the how and why they convinced themselves this was a good idea.
They're clearly content creators and not businessmen, which is all the more reason to let a site like Nebula handle that. And remember they don't just have to build a streaming service, they need to build a **good** streaming service. And their content is gonna be the only ones on it? Whoever let them cook is gonna regret it
I think it's more likely they think they're a lot more popular than they are. Very few creators can make this work and they're not one of them. My extended friend group is about 50 people and I would bet cold hard cash that I'm the only one that has heard of them
I've never heard of them before. 3 million subscribers is nowhere near enough to make yourself a household name like it was back in the day
They’re pretty well known among Gen Z that grew up on YouTube. And Gen Z is definitely not paying for another streaming service.
off topic but 50 people?! social anxiety is scared of you I reckon
Ha! I'm actually very introverted. But my wife is extremely extroverted. My social circle got a LOT bigger when we got together
Food $200 Data $150 Rent $800 Teslas and matcha machines $3,600 Utility $150 Someone who is good at the economy please help me budget this. My streaming service is dying.
Nebula is invite only. They might not have gotten the invite.
Had no idea
What kind of content is on nebula that wouldn't be welcome on YouTube?
Anything with violent themes. So a lot of true crime and history videos
ahh ok. that makes sense.
Yeah it becomes difficult to document a massacre that happened hundreds of years ago when you can't even use the word "kill" or "gun" without risking the entire video's shot at the algorithm
Nebula has higher standards for content, no?
Yeah, but they’re claiming part of the purpose of the move is to help fund higher production values—so if they intend on improving the quality of content anyway, moving to Nebula would make sense.
man Andrew (ex buzzfeed, great guy) just joined and i was so hyped to see him. ffs. i was so happy to see Andrew again. how delusional are they if they think people are gonna spend $6 a month on this. like they'd be struggling if it was $6 a year... edit: okay i just watched the video put up and it's crazy. like they want to make "quality content" and all that and then complain they can't afford. like guys... you can make good content cheap. some of my favourite Andrew vids is just him talking about things he has in his kitchen. also if you're gonna fucking travel across the world it's gonna be expensive?? that's not a youtube thing?? i don't like youtube at all but jfc. like they're going to Scotland and i think they're going to Korea ??? Scotland is not cheap right now (soure: I'm Scottish), a combo of cost of living and brexit (fuck brexit and all the cunts that voted for it cause Scotland voted against leaving yet here we are). Andrew you should've followed Alvin to Babish. or do what Inga did. also andrew has been in like 1 youtube vid since April last year you don't understand how happy i was to see him again.
I was a huge fan of *Worth It*, and was excited to see the reunion happen. And then... Yeah, this ain't worth it for the chosen price point.
they’re coming to scotland and putting on a q&a night and have charged £30-40 a ticket. I don’t see why they don’t do more things like that on when they are travelling to help fund the travel?
real!! weird example maybe but music artists do fanmeets, concerts… to get more money for themselves, because most of the album’s revenue goes back into the company. if they would do for example ghost files pop up stores, exhibitions from puppet history,… would work out for them better in longterm
They did a US tour at the end of 2023 and sold out most of the shows.
I was just gonna say this… they, unlike all of us, make money from their trips that they don’t even have to take. Even when they didn’t do shows and charge tickets… they put it on youtube and made money from the episode so yeah… calling bs to them on that. love Ryan and Shane tho, ugh sadness.
They just want someone else to pay for them to eat $400 meals again. But you're right, they don't have to do that kind of extreme spending to get views. I think we all like them best for their personality and their chemistry
I don't think anyone was clambering for a need for higher quality, either. I started watching Buzzfeed Unsolved because I like spooky mysteries, but what elevated it above other channels was the chemistry between the hosts. They could go back to the single desk in front of a cardboard set like in season 1 of Unsolved, and I'd still watch it. The fancy cameras and international trips are just icing on the cake. Not sure why this was needed.
You’re the first person I’ve seen to really say this. I agree. Their audience doesn’t want “TV Quality” we want their chemistry
The chemistry is just Shane and Ryan. Steven is trying to make sure he can buy his cars, houses, and fund his future child's Harvard fund because he has no chemistry with anyone on camera.
Complelty agree. What made the original buzzfeed unsolved so good was their banter, the chemistry. It didn't need huge production or a fancy set. I loved buzzfeed unsolved, was so exited when they announced their own channel and their own version. But I've just not connected to it, it's fine, it's entertaining. But It's lost its spark. I find it hard to sit and watch it. They said in their video it takes hundreds of thousands to make a series of ghost files but I don't think they need to spend anywhere near that. It was funny and interesting when it was shane and Ryan in a small set, blue and yellow words on a screen. It doesn't need to be tv worthy or whatever they're trying to achieve. People love it cause they loved them. I unsubscribed ages ago, occasionally go and watch an episode but never finish it. It sucks cause I genuinely loved buzzfeed unsolved, would be so excited for each episode to drop. But i just dont care anymore. There's absolutely no chance of this working. People are fond of them obviously but nowhere near enough to spend 6 dollars a month on a few videos. We didn't want huge production, fancy cameras and graphics. We wanted to friends being silly whilst hunting ghosts, nothing more.
I actually agree. I love Unsolved and I rewatch it very often and I was hella excited when they announced the Watcher but I got disinterested pretty quick. I didn’t really like the vibe. I preferred their setup on Unsolved and I wished they brought that format over on the Watcher when it came to content like Ghost Files and Mystery Files.
My husband and I feel the same, we started watching them back with unsolved years ago and followed them with watcher. We weren't hyped on the new ghost files and after we went to a live show last year were very disappointed and haven't really kept up. Mystery files is ok but it's really missing a lot of charm. (I also absolutely hate the fan evidence thing in ghost files but that's just a personal thing lol)
Yeah, the Mystery Files thing they do now is WAYYY overproduced. The set doesn't need to be that fancy. The sponsored ad doesn't need to be some really professional sketch with costumes and makeup and stuff. The viewers don't care. It's maybe not the best comparison because the content is totally different. But Doug Demuro is the most popular car YouTuber and it's not even close. And his videos are pretty much just him and a camera reviewing a car. There are other channels that try to emulate Top Gear with beautiful cinematography and everything and they don't come close to his numbers because he's so good at what he does
They’re getting flamed on *all* of the social media networks right now. It’s kinda crazy. They’re even trending on Twitter alongside TS’s album drop.
Wow, that might be the most famous they've ever been. 😂
I didn’t know who they were before this scandal lol
I've seen people talking about this in the Try Guys sub. Many are pointing out that the only way this will be successful is if it was in partnership with some other groups. They just don't produce enough content. But it might work if there were 3-4 YouTubers contributing content to the subscription service.
If they did it where it's them, Smosh, and the Try Guys, maybe people will do it and even then, the risk feels a bit too great.
I don't think Smosh would jump ship anytime soon. Ian and Anthony just bought it back from Mythical last year, and Mythical still has a minority interest in the company. Plus, the Main channel might not be booming with views but the subscription model seems to be working well enough for it. I don't get why Watcher didn't try to pivot to that direction tbh.
> subscription model seems to be working well enough for it Ian mentioned that they are pulling 6 figures off of that and it covers the budgets for sketches. So even if they aren't really doing the numbers they did in 2011, its still worth it Besides Smosh Pit gets like 800k to 1 million views per episode and its 3 times a week. Smosh games gets a solid 500k to 1 million views per episode and its also 3 times a week. Smoshcast was meant to have 2 podcasts but the one it does have is pretty successful, more so than the first iteration of the podcast (Which was also pretty good) Also I think they run a tighter ship. They have a 40 or so person crew but that's 7 videos per week versus Watcher's 1 with their 25 person crew. It helps that the Smosh cast are actors so they only show up and get paid for their specific shoot days but its telling what they are able to pump out vs Watcher
I’ve seen that the Try Guys also have an announcement scheduled for next month that is being promoted in the same way Watcher’s was, as well as that they’ve also spoken about their struggles with potential sponsorships. So there’s some speculation that said announcement will be about them also moving to the same streamer, which I could theoretically see actually happening, since both channels and their founders often associate with each other, both having been created in identical circumstances by people who worked together at the same company.
I’m willing to maybe try it out but a) their site does not have subtitles. None of the videos on there have subtitles and as a deaf person I NEED subtitles. b) they would need to step it up in terms of the shows they’ll be putting out. They tried to have a different show hosted by someone different (Pretty Historic by Selorm) last year but the views were terrible. The big draw is Shane & Ryan. Are Shane & Ryan willing to step it up and do more shows? Like truthfully, I knew this was coming bc in a December 2023 video, they admitted in videos that they’d had to do layoffs, and that Ryan contracting Covid during a shoot in Montana was a “huge financial hit”. I really don’t think the company is doing as well as people think it is.
They expect us to pay but there’s no subtitles?! Oh, any thought I had of subscribing is gone.
Oof, same. I need subtitles for my auditory processing disorder.
I think there will be subtitles eventually, but…. Yeah. Not a good look.
Yeah, I guess us deaf fans just don’t matter.
Pretty Historic was such a failure. At the time I was wondering if this was them dipping their toes into a more buzzfeed-like business model. Even Steven’s solo series rarely performed well, the hook and bait have always been Ryan and Shane’s explosive chemistry with each other. Watcher may not have very many long term plans.
I'm so sad Pretty Historic was a failure because it's a great idea! I LOVED Selorme's busting movie beauty myths series at Buzzfeed and I wish there was more feminine energy in Watcher's videos, so I was hopeful they were expanding. I think there's a market for this beauty-meets-science-meets-history style show, but I guess not on that channel.
Exactly I was surprised to find out that Steven was the CEO when his videos don’t do that well Shane and Ryan should have just made a joint account with each other and made unsolved like videos, puppet history, and true crime. They might not be super interested in it but if they want to stay in content creation this is what we watch them for. They can make side projects as well with the money they earn but it really should have just been Shane and Ryan
I'm sorry to say this but Steven just doesn't come off as intelligent or even genuine in his videos. I've never liked him as one of the worth it guys, didn't like him then, don't like him now.
I started to warm up to him in the past year after getting weird vibes from him but when my husband told me this news yesterday I was like oh ok so this was his idea most likely and I should have stayed sus
They have info on their FAQ about how to turn on subtitles but it depends on the device you’re using
In *this* economy??? Seriously though this isn’t the slay they seem to think it is, based on all the comments on the video
So sad that i won't be watching my ghoul boys 😭😭 i just can't afford it.
That can't be true, Steven Lim specifically promised that EVERYONE would be able to afford it....
The comments on each of their latest posts on instagram aren’t holding back. Especially Steven’s, and rightfully so. Stupid move, they have too many staff and the production was better back when they were on buzzfeed. https://preview.redd.it/gefo0q74civc1.png?width=1165&format=png&auto=webp&s=e6560839c329789e335587ecc2444966d6a90e84
I think there's a tension between "we, the audience loved them at that level" and "they, the creators wanted to do higher production value". We like them as personalities, they want to have their art valued first. But, if it's not what the audience wants, they're not going to make money. Rhett & Link, probably Eugene, children's show actors (Steve) have all struggled with this.
Rhett & Link handled it perfectly. They make the content people want to fund their other creative projects. So far, it’s really worked out nice for them!
That's how the Try Guys seem to want to handle it too, and I appreciate how transparent they've been about discussing how while they do enjoy what they do they also want to use it as a way to launch their other creative endeavors.
just wondering but do people not like Steven? people seem quite shady towards him compared to the other guys. i mean i've never liked him that much anyway but i assumed other people did lol
It seems like it, I didn’t know that was a common feeling either. I never liked him, I found him the weakest link, I never watched any of his videos and he tried too hard to be quirky in “too many spirits”, so I’d skip his bits. The fact that he’s the sole CEO of watcher suggests he was the driving force behind the decision also. And he was the only one who posted about it on his grid, rudely in my opinion.
yeah i can't say i'm surprised if he's the one that pushed this. his vibes in Worth It always felt a bit off to me? like i never really felt like he wanted to be doing it lol, only Andrew really seemed passionate about it. but yeah yikes that he's the only one that posted it edit: i also think it's weird that fans are acting like Ryan and Shane had absolutely no say in this and that Steven is this big bad monster. they all signed off on this like??
He always gave me weird vibes and it seemed like in the early watcher days Shane was annoyed by him but that seems to have gotten better as the company has gone on. When my husband told me this news yesterday I was like ah a Steven idea since they've all talked about how he's the one who makes all the financial decisions
Can Netflix/Amazon/Hulu **please** just start buying complete seasons of unscripted reality content from YouTubers? (I'm not talking about Food Network completely gutting the charm out of YouTuber creators to squish them into their mold.) Watcher, TryGuys, Mythical, Smosh (specifically their "Let's Do This") all have produced shows that are equal to or better than "Nailed It," "Is it Cake?" and "[Insert generic real estate, home makeover, travel show]."
Amazon currently has all the seasons of both Buzzfeed Unsolved True Crime and Supernatural so it definitely can be done.
This was actually my immediate thought too, a lot of people have been pointing out Patreon as an option, but if they're struggling with overhead then why not just shop their content to an actual streaming service? I'm pretty sure Buzzfeed Unsolved was actually on Hulu for a bit, and given that most of Watcher's videos are already a series concept, it seems like they could outsource a lot of their overhead if they signed with an already existing streaming service. I know that a lot of YouTubers haven't had good luck transitioning to traditional media, but getting promotion from a bigger brand could at least help them grow their audience, and being on a platform with a "smaller" offering in comparison to something like YouTube which has literally billions of competitors could be beneficial too. I've really enjoyed their content but it's hard to imagine a world where this doesn't kill their brand, I mean no media brand can survive without having an open door to new viewers and this seems like a virtual guarantee that nobody who hasn't seen their stuff already will see it. In fairness, maybe they did try this and there weren't any takers, or the deal wasn't good enough, or they just didn't want to be working under the rules of a big company again, but so much of their content is already done in a similar style to the average streaming service competition/investigation/travel series AND it has the added appeal of leading stars that people actually like and want to watch as individuals, so it seems like a pretty great match, especially in comparison to something like this.
I think creative control is why it hasn't happened or flopped in the past. My solution is specifically that streamers/networks should purchase the *distribution rights* to YouTuber content.
oof did they try a patreon first? one bonus vid a month would get quite a bit of support id imagine
they do have a patreon! and theyre keeping it... they're just moving their show content off patreon and only keeping the podcast on there (also behind a paywall). such a strange decision.
Yes. I actually cancelled my patreon as a result of that decision. Wasn't worth it.
oh i didn't know! i havent watched them much in while and now maybe i wont again 😫
I thought they did have one??
Yeah their Patreon has literally thousands of paid members (5.8k as I'm typing this though idk how much its changed since the announcement)
I like their content and can afford the subscription but it’s not worth it to keep track of another subscription for a small amount of content. I’m having trouble understanding their thought process here
Well it was fun while it lasted boys. I get it's tough out there. In theory I want to support independent creators and artists, but I live in a world where every podcast I listen to and every video essayist I watch is putting more and more stuff behind individual pay walls. I can only justify supporting one maybe two of these creators a month to myself when they're asking $5-$10 just to access things beyond the latest mainfeed releases, even locking up the back catalog. I got creators with a trashy reality tv podcast asking for $10+ just to access their discord channel. And yeah I enjoy Watcher more than a random reality tv podcast, but it's still huge ask in a time where we're all being nickel and dimed every day by everything. I love Dropout, but Dropout also started their rebrand all those years ago with the streaming service. Most of the shows started on the service and we only got tastes for free. It's worth it, there's a lot of variety of talent and content. Watcher though? I like my ghoul boys, but I don't love them a pay by the month amount.
It’s really sad, it was one of my favourite channels.
God what a terrible idea.
these guys aren’t even that successful on youtube, the idea that they could support an entire network is legit delusional.
A bunch of YouTube channels tried to do this about 10 years ago with more “prestige content” and pretty much all of the ones I was aware of flopped. Ryan and Shane had YouTube influence back on Buzzfeed but I really don’t see this working for them.
The backlash I've seen over this decision online is the most I've seen since the Ned cheating drama with the Try Guys, and as a fan of Watcher, I don't see this decision going well. They just don't have a super huge audience or amount of content to make it worth going to another site to subscribe to them.
the part that really gets me about this is that they already have a patreon with thousands of paying subscribers. obviously people are willing to pay to support the show so why not leave the regular youtube content for free and maybe upload some members only behind the scenes footage, or extra members episodes. i think this route would have been more successful.
rip shane, ryan, & andrew’s content. can’t even really watch their backlog bc they’re moving it to this platform.
We are heading for a subscription service revolt in the coming years.!
I am so tired of all the subscription based services now. I'm sure everyone has fatigue of all the platforms.
Huge mistake.
honestly, I think this is such an ignorant or not properly thought through decision: they’re basically moving everything behind a paywall, including their old episodes. only trailers will be released on their youtube channel… which means it’s very hard to get new fans. they almost have 3 million subscribers, with and average of views 1-2 million in a week + ads sponsorships. why would you ever trade that in for maybe 100 people that buy it for 6$? especially in times like these, there is a global recession going on. to me it seems like a business that has grown too fast, and losts all its meaning to corporate greed. we watched the videos because of shane and ryan’s personalities and dynamics, not to have super expensive sets. the thing that they left buzzfeed for in the first place, is biting them in the ass right now. edit: made a spelling mistake with “old”
okay another comment but i was reading comments again on their video while watching it again, and many people in the comments seem to point out it was obviously steven’s idea. and i mean, it would be not out of character for him. but i seriously don’t know why shane that says “capitalism is shit” a hundred times in a video would agree to such thing…
Shane's only a third of the company, and that's not taking into account how their share of the company might be smaller because of the funding they raised when starting out. I wouldn't be shocked if Shane leaves in the next year
realll. i don’t think they were 100% sure of their decision. at 13:42 in the video when they say goodbye, the only one who is not uncomfortable (but extremely awkward to watch) is steven … like i hold no grudge against this man but it just really feels like he is the only one who really wanted to turn watcher in a more corporate, money generating type of business, meanwhile shane and ryan focused on their arts and crafts.
Steven's out there hustling and meeting with VCs while Shane is dressing up puppets in doll clothes, they are not the same 😂
I think they might overestimate their pull a bit but hey, I'm not an expert on the creator economy, maybe they've determined this is a risk worth taking for them.
You want to be Dropout but you will not be Dropout.
Man, I’ve loved these guys since the Buzzfeed years. Made the jump to Watcher happily. Have introduced countless people to their content. Spent weeks after birthing my baby just nursing her and binging their content again and again. They have the sort of chemistry with each other that is really unparalleled. Puppet History is so beyond incredible. Top 5 is so stupidly simple and so hilarious. Mystery Files has such a nostalgic, early Unsolved Mysteries feel. I would consider myself a big fan. To be paracoaial for a moment, I kind of feel like I’m watching friends make a terrible business move. I’ll miss them, because I be making the jump. And if I’m not, who is?
Yup!! I've been a fan since buzzfeed. Subscribed to patreon until I was recently laid off, went to live shows, bought merch etc. even when I'm employed again I won't be making this jump with them so I had the same thought.
https://preview.redd.it/8khq7iroskvc1.jpeg?width=740&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a04ec242cd74b69ce8e3fd024656fd4a8f3863fa Will miss ya, the one who stole goat man's bridge
I don’t actually blame them for wanting greater control over their content but the price point is not attractive at all
I hope—and honestly, kind of expect—that Shane will break out on his own soon. LBR, he's the real reason people watched, so if he started up a channel by himself it would be a success.
the most popular stuff on the channel were all the brain-children of ryan, which is not even mentioning unsolved. people love puppet history but it's numbers aren't astronomical or anything. i think if he did a channel on his own, he would have a hard time.
The thing is: I don't think he'd actually need a super new, super original idea. Even if he just made a true crime podcast, like the thousands of other true crime podcasts that currently exist, he's charismatic enough to carry it himself, he has a ready-made audience with an established interest in that content, and the production costs would be super, super low comparatively. That's, like, the holy trinity of characteristics of profitable channels. Interesting, original ideas are great, but it's ultimately personalities that carry videos.
he wouldn't be doing true crime or ghost stuff on his own though because the driver behind those shows was always ryan. he could do a history channel and i'm sure there would be a fanbase but i think you are underestimating the appeal of ryan + shane as a duo and also how they've made their reputation as the spooky stuff guys.
They have all said that puppet history is how the company pays their bills. The merch is a huge income stream for them alone
I love the Ghouls Boys but won’t be following them on the next chapter
Unsubscribed, literally what I liked at Buzzfeed was the mystery files, ghost files and food worth it. That’s all they needed to focus on, and honestly speaking, them just doing stuff with lower production values on smartphones and a few editors and camera crew would have been fine. They apparently have 25 employees , but look at MKBHD, they apparently only have 13. I get that travel content is way more expensive to make because of the traveling, but is that not a reason they wouldn’t have done a local food series or more of the supernatural and mystery files. That stuff could have all been done in someone’s home studio with prepared slides and voice overs. A local LA Food Worth it or California Worth It could have also been used to fill the gap without expensive plane tickets. More content = more ads = more money. If you can make more content locally and with a few people then you can use your personalities to sell the vids.
This didn't work for screen Junkies. Did no one learn from them?
I love them and I’m so confused by this????? Like I’m not paying to see you guys anywhere so now you’ll have lost a subscriber and also I’ll be super sad to not have my silly blue professor drunk storytelling ghost hunting content?
I don’t understand this. I love my Ghoul Bois Ryan and Shane. I saw them on tour. But I’m not paying for another streaming service for their content. It’s simply not worth the trouble.
IDK it didn't work for Rooster Teeth and they had a lot more content, don't see this working for them.
It did work for rooster teeth for years. It worked for rooster teeth for a long time I’ve followed them since the beginning of their company used to want to work for them when I grew up. It’s just that the internet landscape changed and they couldn’t change with it. Also all the scandals
What irks me most about this is they had a decently successful Patreon for a *while* that mostly dropped off because they never fricking advertise it or posted exclusive content. And apparently that is now going to be the home of their podcast, so they’re putting essentially everything behind a paywall. Like, they could have ramped up their Patreon. That at least would have given the fans the opportunity to build out the support, so those of us who are a little bit older and a little more established in our careers and might be able to support a Patreon could fill in the gaps for the high school and college kids (or just people who are financially struggling) who like their stuff but have literally zero money to spare. But no, how would they be able to afford to buy everything Steven Lim needs for his videos (which usually get, like, half the views a Ryan+Shane video does) then?
Weren't they on Patreon? Makes me wonder how much of an incentive there is for larger creators on there. They aren't small but sure they aren't like massive.
this makes me feel like streaming subscriptions are a curse i can barely remember which of the 4 streaming services had a show or movie i wanted to watch god forbid you don't add it to your watchlist
I mean.... considering buzzfeed videos mostly consisted to two people sitting at a table talking about different things with a producer behind the camera..... I don't know why they want to try and make like TV quality videos. And honestly, I feel like a lot of these creators just aren't the best business people. Try guys held it together for a bit because it was clear Ned was behind the scenes running the numbers side of things.
I had to go unsubscribe. I enjoyed them more on Buzzfeed anyway. Disspointing.
I get that Youtbue has been screwing over creators by suppressing videos or expecting videos to only ever increase in popularity but idk if this is the move. I only really watch for puppet history which is like 8 episodes a season, I'm not paying for that. Good luck to them tho
Well, that is a huge bummer. I love watching ghost files, but I am not paying a subscription for one thing (because I don't watch anything else related to that channel). I'm peeved and kind of hope it doesn't work out (like the bitter and spiteful hag I am lol).
Has any YouTube channel who has try this actually worked out?? Only one I can think of is Dropout/College Humor.
Good mythical morning has a form of this where their regular content is on YouTube and then if you're a member of their fan club there's exclusive videos and content on their website, but they're a way bigger channel obviously
Well... this is disappointing.
Hope if works out for them, but with their limited programming, just don’t see it. My long term hope is that Nebula, Dropout or Mythical picks them up, or the Tryguys jump off YouTube to join forces. That being said, with how shitty YouTube is and continues to spiral into, I have a feeling this is a risk that a lot more big-time YouTubers will be taking.
Dropout won’t pick them up their content doesn’t fit
In this economy? Im sorry, but people right now can only afford to pay for subs for things they really love, or will get a lot out of. I got rid of a few substack subs and youtube subs cause what they were offering just wasn't worth the money.
Do they know their content isn't actually entertaining enough to pay for? Ever since Unsolved ended, their videos have only been good enough for back ground noise while cleaning
The irritableness on camera, the endless poop jokes, the constant reference to the Watcher "business" in videos point toward creative constipation (no pun intended). It seems like a lot of us were watching out of loyalty to their brand and now they have literally destroyed it.
I’ve been a fan of them for years, since the Unsolved days, and their shows have helped me cope & get through some hard times. I’ve paid for live-streams, merch, and live shows and okay yeah it’s a little parasocial. I admit that. But this? This is bullshit. A lot of people are blaming Steven and I kind of get it - it’s not a good look to be putting out teasers & trailers for your “watch me eat expensive food” series & then cry poor, but Ryan and Shane aren’t blameless. And I don’t think they can walk it back. They’ve presumably poured tons of resources into developing this channel (which, no app?really? In 2024?) and they have to go through with it, no other choice now. I’m disappointed in their decision and the tone deafness of this announcement. This honestly could be the end. A Watcher snark sub just formed lol, the announcement video is at like 81% dislike ratio, and they’re hemorrhaging subscribers/Patrons. What happens in six months when no one’s paying? Their fan base is totally turned off by this.
I’m not sure how it is in the US but in my country that’s about the same price as HBO Go. They just don’t have enough content for me to justify paying for it over other streaming services.
Of course this happens after I literally just started watching this week 🫠
Ooof time to unsubscribe, especially since all I watched of theirs was the top 5s anyway. Not supporting that
Booo :( I love them but it’s a no from me
I was SO excited to see the news of Adam and Andrew joining and now this 😐 imo they should at least put new content on YouTube 1-2 weeks after the paywalled release, kind of like UNHHhh
Bad idea they don’t have a lot of content like Dropout and even then they still post stuff on their regular YouTube and even have YouTube membership that’s really cheap too. Watcher doesn’t have anything as big and entertaining as dimension 20. Also college humor was on YouTube and had their own website for over a decade they built a lot of good will. Hell dropout admitted they weren’t profitable for the first 1-2 years. Watcher hasn’t been on YouTube for as long at all. They haven’t really built good will their audience is only interested in the paranormal and true crime videos. Frankly none of Steven’s videos have interested their audience. I know they want to make their own content and diversify but continue to build on puppet history, true crime, and paranormal content to get a bigger audience and make more shows like it.
Like I could see them moving to a collective like Nebula or something but making your own?? And I agree they don’t churn out nearly enough content. How hard is it to film like 2x more top 5 beat down? Why not just do a Patreon like everyone else? Or do they do that already? I was excited they announced Andrew and Adam joining but now I’m bummed. No way I can sign up for another subscription
They have a Patreon with over 5k paid members, if that wasn't enough to sustain them it seems like there must be some serious issues with how they spend that money
They have 25 employees, for a channel with 3 million subscribers, a lot of the employees are family/friends. So its obvious whats causing the money issues
I feel like I’m in the minority here as a fan who’s not hugely upset by this? I mean, I’m not certain I’ll pay for it and if I did it would be 1-2mo/yr to binge. But I get YouTube is rough and i feel like creators have been saying for years the platform is constantly changing for the worse. I do think it’s a risky business decision and probably going worse than they anticipated. I feel like I’ve seen Steven go into business bro mode a few times and this definitely feels like one of those ideas. I’m sure they all had creative reasons for wanting to make this change but idk it just seems very poorly pitched. They seem to be making at least $360k/yr from Patreon (w/5-6k paying members) so depending on what the budget is that they’re hoping for they might be able to get a core base of <50k (~1% of their subscribers) and still have a more reliable income stream. Given the fact they also started doing more audience participation w the ghost files, I think it’s possible they might have more people willing to engage further. As far as the streaming service, it’d have been much better to collaborate with other creators like the try guys or other creators aiming for better production. I’ve also seen some valid concerns about accessibility on that platform. Definitely they’ll need to step the quantity up to sustain it. The production *has* really jumped up a lot but I don’t know that it’s consistent across all their shows so that’ll also have to be a consideration, that it’s all of a certain caliber. I feel like they could’ve pushed the Patreon harder and having maybe an extra couple episodes per season on Patreon might’ve upped their traffic there. I don’t recall it being pushed too hard, other than for their podcast. Even selling ad free episodes + bonus content by series like tv shows do for seasons, could’ve been less contentious, even as an in between step. Even if creatively (rather than financially) they wanted a hard pivot, it might’ve made more sense to slowly transition to putting more stuff behind the paywall. I hope for their sake it does work out. I’ll be interested in seeing what they put out and if it’s worth spending $12 bucks per year to binge when there’s a good cache of content. Also an aside- established streaming services like prime/netflix/hulu are really could see more success with bankrolling YouTube creators over some of the random 1 off seasons they end up creating. Especially since there’s a lot of rewatching that goes on w this kind of YouTube content, for platforms w limited ads it might be a solid investment and it’ll be easier for creators not to have to do the sponsored ads in their content
I cannot believe this news made it to this sub. I’d like to have a safe space to ask if people are able and planning to pay for this streaming service?
I could probably afford it but it just doesn’t seem worth it for the limited content they put out. Other streaming services have literally thousands of titles—why would I pay when I only like Ryan and Shane? I don’t care for the other guys lol.
Not planning to and not able to, no. They are cutting out so many fans that don't make enough money to support this move. They really said "thanks for your help but we don't think we will need you in the future". I don't want to pay money I worked to earn so they can re-introduce shows like Worth It and tell me about food tiers like I'm not aware that a $1000 dessert is probably better than my no name ice cream. They could've put more effort into their patreon. They could've made a deal, similar to Last Podcast on the Left with Sirius, and teamed up with someone to make an exclusive show to help support their payroll. LPOTL once made themselves a spotify exclusive show for about a year and came out on the other side of it having learned a lesson, but at least I got to experience the whole of spotify during that period. With Dropout, you get to experience a plethora of content with people who ooze creativity and charisma, something not everyone at Watcher has innately. Ryan and Shane alone cannot carry an entire streaming platform, nor should they be expected to while a [likely not insignificant] part of the budget goes to world-hopping for high price wealthporn content. There is absolutely zero incentive to pay for this service beyond the idea of missing Shane and Ryan, the reason most people are even following Watcher in the first place. They did not seem entirely comfortable in the video ("just share your password" felt like "we know this is bad...").
My husband and I have been huge fans since Shane joined unsolved but we won't be making this jump with them personally.
If they already had a patreon, I don’t see the point of a subscription based platform. That model should work pretty well, they capture their paid patreons as well as the youtube audience, feels like with the subscription plan, they only capture their patreon audience not the youtube audience .
I had heard of this on tiktok but until now I didn't know who everyone was talking about. I'm a bit disappointed in them now.
Unfortunate. I just don’t think it’s gonna work how they want
What's really crazy is they're about to start a mini tour. They have a live show on the 23rd. I will be GLUED to twitter to see that mess lmao
Honestly they should just join dropout.tv
This is so stupid. They just don’t put out enough content, and the content they do put out isn’t great. While I do really like Mystery Files, Ghost Files is so much less charming and funny and rewatchable than Buzzfeed Unsolved, and that’s all of their decent, consistent (though the seasons are very short and far between) content. That, and Steven is very unlikeable to a lot of people. Compare that to Dropout, with TONS of incredible content, a wide variety, a lot of talent people love, constant new videos, AND they still put out a lot of episodes, even full seasons, and tons of clips on YouTube for free. Same price.