Online video giant YouTube recently revealed it would be rolling out a new subscription service featuring dozens of channels that fans would pay a fee for. It's the next logical step in the progression of the wildly successful site and one WWE could have gotten in on.
If it wanted to.
According to a report from Variety, YouTube wanted WWE to be one of its "anchor tenants" but WWE decided against doing so:
YouTube is poised to introduce dozens of subscription-video channels Thursday, but WWE will not be part of the launch party.
Google-owned YouTube had hoped to sign on wrestling entertainment and media company WWE for its pay-channel initiative as an anchor tenant, according to sources. But with respect to Internet video, WWE has opted to stick with ad-supported properties.
It's likely WWE's recent deal with Yahoo has a lot to do with its position here, as noted by my colleague Keith Harris in this post. This isn't to say the WWE YouTube channel will go away; it certainly won't. The company will simply cease to create original content designed specifically for that site, instead sending it Yahoo's way.
Don't worry, though, the video playlists of Monday Night Raw, Main Event, and Friday Night SmackDown aren't going anywhere anytime soon.