YouTube is in talks to expands its premium content purge into France, according to a Le Figaro report. The French newspaper suggests that the development could take place as early as October.
The video-sharing site’s entrance into France would be the first international venture for this costly initiative. While details are scarce—Google has not returned the Daily Dot’s request for comment—La Figaro is reporting that YouTube has already approached such media conglomerates as Endemol and Kabo, as well as popular actors Alessandra Sublet and Jean Dujardin.
Shiny and scripted, YouTube’s gaggle of premium content channels arrived in the United States in December, with broadcasts either featuring or produced by such noted celebrities as Madonna, Tony Hawk, and Deepak Chopra. Since, Google has spent over $100 million on the production of new, professional-grade content.
The investment has paid off for pre-established YouTube personalities who’ve partnered with Google, most notably Philip DeFranco. Others, like Shaquille O’Neal’s Comedy Shaq channel and female health channel Live Strong Woman, have struggled to amass a following.
French personalities who take the partnership offer are expected to receive a minimum guarantee between $165,000 U.S. and $1.23 million U.S. for 20 hours of content each year. Creators would also receive a share of any additional revenue made from advertising.
Watching these developments closely are the people working behind the scenes at Dailymotion, the French-based site that’s currently the second most-popular video-sharing hub on the Web. Though unconfirmed, it’s believed that the YouTube partnerships could come with certain syndication limitations that would prevent the shows from running on Dailymotion.
A Dailymotion spokesperson told the Daily Dot that the site currently has relationships with 10,000 premium partners and 50,000 “Motionmakers.”
“Offering multiple avenues for viewers to find a varied presentation of content as opposed to simply ‘Premium vs. User Generated’ creates a more engaging and rich experience for our viewers,” the spokesperson said. “It’s one that we expect will continue adding to our expansion and competitive stance in the market.”
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