Should “The Karate Kid” Sequel Series be at YouTube Red?
Unlike a good amount of individuals who use the platform in one way or another, I have no problem with YouTube Red. It provides me an ad-free experience while still allowing me to financially support my favorite YouTubers, and helps fund projects for said YouTubers to participate in. Because that was part of YouTube Red’s mission statement in their press release; that they would grant “member-only access to new, original shows and movies from some of YouTube’s biggest creators.” That, and the fact that my monthly subscription fee would go toward the creators I regularly watch in place of sitting through ads was enough for me to regularly utilize the service.
So you can only guess my state of confusion when I found out that YouTube Red would be the home of the sequel series to The Karate Kid, “Cobra Kai.”
At first, I was pretty interested. Ralph Macchio was gonna be back for it, and so was Johnny Lawrence. Sure, I wasn’t too stoked about the creative team behind it -- I’m not that big of a fan of the Hot Tub Time Machine movies -- but I’m always down to see a project that has a sense of passion and respect for the source material, especially if it was gonna be on a streaming service like Netflix.
Which is where I initially thought it was going.
But nope. It was going on YouTube Red. The place where “new original shows and movies from some of YouTube’s biggest creators” are housed.
That just makes all the sense.
Apparently, YouTube Red was in a bidding war between Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and AMC for the rights to the show while Macchio and Lawrence were pitching it, scoring a deal for a 10 episode first season. So if Netflix and Amazon were competing for rights to the show, that means YouTube must’ve put up some serious money to make this a YouTube Red exclusive, and apparently one that Susanne Daniels -- the global head of original content for YouTube -- really wanted under their belt.
However, the reasoning why is a bit disheartening.
If you recall, this isn’t YouTube’s first initiative in trying to play in the realm of television and streaming services. This of course happened during the beginning of the infamous Adpocalypse, in which a ton of companies began pulling their ad revenue dollars because they either didn’t appreciate or understand where their ads were being placed. So while YouTube is still investing money in the people that made their platform the powerhouse it is now, they’re starting to invest in celebrity; the first wave of change involving them tapping the shoulders of Ellen DeGeneres, Kevin Hart, Ryan Seacrest and Demi Lovato for their regular ad-friendly service while also integrating YouTubers in those programs to show they still care about those of us who use the platform.
With the acquisition of this non-YouTuber pitched show however, the company has shown they’re ready to make the next step.
This next step as Susanne Daniels admitted to The Hollywood Reporter, involves attracting more individuals who don’t regularly use YouTube in their day-to-day by increasing YouTube Red’s demographic from the Millennial age bracket of 18-34 to include that of Generation X, bumping the age bracket to the late 40’s.
And while I’m sure it’s a move that is aimed to help attract new users and make the ones that have been on the platform feel more comfortable via nostalgia, its one that I feel may be the beginning of YouTube breaking their promise to those who use YouTube Red and wish to provide content through the service. It also gives hundreds of thousands of users who were apprehensive of using the service already a reason to be even moreso. Because unless they involve YouTubers in shows like they’ve acquired in this fashion -- which is highly unlikely due to their obvious want to compete with Netflix and the like -- they’re going to be walking down a path that may insinuate that they’ve outgrown the talent that has made the service what they are. They’ll be so caught up in trying to keep up with the Joneses, that they won’t even have the support of their customer base, let alone their creatives.
And when that day comes, not even Mr. Miyagi can help YouTube reclaim its honor.
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