YouTuber Chimchatman declared the monetization of his replay channel and then canceled it after controversy.
On 31st of last month, Chimchatman announced his monetization plan for the content replay channel 'Chimchatman Original Museum' through the fan site Chimha-ha.
According to this plan, the 'Chimchatman Original Museum' will be available for early access to paid subscribers for 3,000 won per month. One week later, the same content will be made available for free.
Chimchatman, who is a popular YouTuber with 2.82 million subscribers on his main channel 'Chimtu-bu', is also operating a live broadcast full version replay channel 'Original Museum' with 430,000 subscribers. He disclosed his intention to monetize 'Original Museum' among these.
Chimchatman's side explained the reason for monetization, noting, "There is no dedicated channel for replay videos, leading to confusion as edited videos and original videos get mixed, and content being consumed before edited videos are released, making it burdensome to reveal due to numerous errors such as slip-ups during live sessions."
Additionally, he noted, "We considered the option of removing some original videos from public access or releasing edited versions when they go live, but we concluded that the private sector should be left to individual choice. Ultimately, we decided on a partial monetization route."
However, the partial monetization of the Chimchatman channel immediately sparked backlash. Some subscribers reacted by saying, "Do you see subscribers as cash cows?"
Conversely, some supported the partial monetization policy. Especially, monetization of such content is not unique to Chimchatman's channel but is commonly operated in a 'membership' format across many YouTube channels.
Nevertheless, the controversy did not subside and continued. Eventually, Chimchatman's side decided to immediately halt replay content. They also decided to make it free one week after live broadcasts to conclude the controversy.
This case is not unique to Chimchatman. As YouTube channels have become commonplace, channels with over 1 million subscribers, referred to as large YouTube channels, are rapidly increasing as they strive for both content differentiation and revenue through 'paid membership' services.
From terrestrial broadcasting to cable TV, then to OTT subscription services led by Netflix, and further to YouTube channel subscriptions, the monetization strategies for content are diversifying. Simultaneously, as the amount of content has increased, the usage fees have also surged rapidly, leaving significant implications.
[Photo] OSEN DB, source: YouTube.
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