YouTube is launching a new, interactive Choose Your Own Adventure-style series that will compete with programs like Netflix’s Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and You Vs. Wild. The series being developed will primarily be driven by interactivity and will be more engaging for the users.
According to a YouTube spokesperson, the projects will appear under a new unit dedicated to engaging programming and live specials.
The company will also integrate some product tools into both its scripted and unscripted YouTube Originals. The company tends to launch the first of these projects soon.
YouTube has experimented with interactive commercials in the past. This big step highlights its first foray into interactive narrative content, which would theoretically make it a direct competitor to famous programming like Bandersnatch from Netflix.
The news announced just months after The Hollywood Reporter reported that YouTube was scaling back on original series in general. YouTube was considered to start scaling back in 2020, according to The Hollywood Reporter, as a means of “serious budget reduction.” It’s unclear how many interactive programs or live specials YouTube is gearing up to invest in.
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