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YouTube stars being offered retention bonuses in face of offers from Facebook & others

Michelle-Phan

YouTube style star Michelle Phan, whose videos have 3.6M views

Top YouTube video creators are being offered bonuses in return for multi-year exclusivity deals in which they guarantee to post content on YouTube first, reports the WSJ.

Facebook Inc. and video startup Vessel, among others, have tried to lure YouTube creators to their services in recent months, according to people familiar with the discussions.

In response, Google is offering some of its top video makers bonuses to sign multiyear deals in which they agree to post content exclusively on YouTube for a time before putting it on a rival service.

YouTube is reportedly particularly concerned about subscription video startup Vessel, founded by former Hulu CEO Jason Kilar … 

Three YouTube stars approached by Vessel say that the company wants them to agree to post content to Vessel first, keeping it exclusive to the service for the first three days – and is making both commercial and aesthetic pitches.

Three people who have been approached by Vessel say the company wants artists to post videos exclusively on its service for up to three days […]

Vessel also has told creators that its subscription service will provide a nicer neighborhood for their videos than YouTube, where videos may run next to edgy or low-budget far

One YouTube insider said that the company has “been in a fire drill” in its attempts to hold onto its top talent.

YouTube recently shared that its most-watched video had clocked-up so many views it was forced to upgrade its counter from 32- to 64-bit. It recently started offering creators custom URLs to match their channel names, especially useful for those who have rebranded after expanding or narrowing their content.

Photo: Clodagh Kilcoyne/Getty Images

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