YouTube to develop its own choose-your-own-adventure shows
Get ready for more Bandersnatch-like shows.
Video streaming site YouTube is jumping into programming where viewers can directly interact with a show's narrative, according to Bloomberg. These choose-your-own-adventure shows will be overseen by Ben Relles, YouTube's head of unscripted programming for YouTube Originals.
Owned by Google, YouTube is one of the most popular video hosting sites in the world. In December 2018, its rival Netflix premiered Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, an interactive movie that allowed viewers to choose different plot lines. The movie was considered a hit by Netflix, and with YouTube throwing its hat into the ring, viewers are going to see more interactive programming on one of the most popular video sharing platforms.
By participating and engaging with programming directly, viewers can explore different plot lines and permutations of a overarching story multiple times -- and stay on a single platform for longer periods of time. In addition to YouTube and Netflix, other companies are investing in choose-your-own adventure videos too. In October 2018, Walmart partnered with the startup company Eko to develop interactive programming for $250 million.
Google did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
