Masterclass and Udemy could be in some trouble. YouTube is launching the ability to create paid-for educational courses right on its platform. Creators would no longer need to redirect their YouTube audience to other sites, instead keeping them where the audience is. YouTube, of course, will get a cut.
YouTube is also changing how certain apps use YouTube as an educational aid. The company is partnering with specific educational companies to provide a distraction-free way to use YouTube’s educational content.
There won’t be any ads
Most already turn to YouTube for educational purposes. According to YouTube, at least 93% of its users do so. There’s no better feeling than finding a video with 1,000 views that perfectly covers and explains that obscure topic. These won’t be going away, we’re sure, though they may be a little less common.
Ads won’t be a problem for courses that charge a fee to get in. Understandably, free courses will still play ads throughout. We’re not sure yet whether users will own a course or just buy temporary access to them. All will be revealed once users actually have the feature to play around with.
Paid-for courses are only launching in 2023, first hitting the U.S and South Korean markets as part of a beta test. If the beta goes according to plan, the feature will roll out to more countries. An official release date is yet to be announced.
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Educational players are getting an upgrade
Courses aren’t the only educational feature on the way. YouTube has announced a new version of embedded players that only certain educational apps are able to use. Apps such as Google Classroom can use the embedded player which removes ads, external links, and recommendations.
The idea is to remove any distractions that could potentially hinder learning. Initially, only some U.S apps and sites will have access to the player. To date, only four companies have been revealed; EDpuzzle, Purdue University, and Purdue Global. Although Google Classroom is already a partner, it’ll receive the same player upgrades as the other three companies.
