YouTube Subscriptions Hit Creator Roadblock

Late last year, YouTube’s CEO Susan Wojcicki began speaking up at conferences about a coming subscription service, where people would pay for an ad-free version of the video streaming site.

But while YouTube executives are currently leaning hard on content owners to sign up in exchange for the promise of shared subscription dollars, some are pushing back. The biggest stumbling block has been around signing away separate subscription rights, which is unappealing to YouTube stars who fear cannibalizing their ad revenue. And negotiations are at a standstill for some TV networks on YouTube that have conflicting subscription contracts with streaming sites and cable networks.