With Primetime Channels, YouTube will integrate a gateway to streaming platforms

YouTube is taking another step into the world of subscription streaming platforms (SVoD): the company has announced the launch, within its own site, of a dedicated space that will offer access to streaming platforms. A system similar to that already present on Amazon Prime Video and myCanal.

Stay in the Google ecosystem

YouTube has been offering films and series to rent or buy directly via its site for several years now. The Primetime Channels section will extend this logic, and allow subscribers of streaming services to find them directly inside the YouTube site or application. Users will thus be able to use the YouTube search engine to view the program of their choice, without having to change sites and leave the Google ecosystem.

Among the streaming services offered, we note the presence of Paramount+ (offered via Canal+ in France), Showtime, Starz, AMC+, Shudder and Epix. The NBA League Pass should arrive later. Note the absence of streaming platforms Netflix, Disney +, Prime Video or Apple TV +, which no doubt wish to preserve their user experience.

“People are already coming to YouTube to watch trailers of highly anticipated movies or snippets of scenes from their favorite TV episodes. Now you can continue to watch these programs directly on YouTube. And you will continue to have the choice and the control over your accounts with the ability to manage them all in one place”said Erin Teague, director of product management at YouTube.

Users will obviously have to be subscribers to the various services to take advantage of their catalog, and no preferential rate has been announced for the moment.

This new portal is currently exclusively available in the United States. If it arrives in France, it will have to adapt to the various agreements already established between streaming services and French broadcasters, in particular Canal+, which has the exclusivity of Paramount+ programs. To be continued then.