YouTube has finally returned to its roots as a platform for user-generated content. Following the announcement that Susanne Daniels, YouTube's Global Head of Original Content, had resigned after more than six years on the job, YouTube Chief Business Officer Robert Kyncl has announced the streamer's decision to focus on creator-driven initiatives such as the Creator Shorts Fund, Black Voices Fund, and Live Shopping programming.

Daniels joined YouTube Originals in 2015, when the video-sharing giant announced its entry into the premium SVOD arena with high-end original scripted programming. YouTube's premium tier debuted in 2016, with shows including Cobra Kai and Step Up, before the Google-owned streamer turned away from scripted and SVOD content in 2018 to focus on unscripted programming under its core AVOD model, with Daniels leading the charge.

“Susanne and her team created an international slate of award-winning programs collectively amassing billions of views, shining a light on incredible creators, important social topics, and introducing YouTube to new audiences. In short, YTO played an integral role in growing the YouTube creator economy,” Kyncl said in a letter to creators posted on Twitter this morning. “Today, there are over 2M creators in the YouTube Partner Program and our creator community has never been more successful: we’ve paid more than $30B to creators, artists, and media companies over the last three years.”

When Kyncl announced the change back to largely user-generated material, he cited that increase and Daniels' departure. Only two areas of YouTube originals will remain.

“Together, these factors contributed to our decision to reduce our YouTube Originals slate,” he said. “Going forward, we will only be funding programs that are part of our Black Voices and YouTube Kids Funds. We will honor our commitment for already contracted shows in progress and creators who are involved with those shows should expect to hear from us directly in the coming days.”

Here is Kyncl’s tweet and his full letter:

Dear Creators,

In 2016 we created YouTube Originals, a division within YouTube dedicated to great new programming with our creators and headed by industry veteran Susanne Daniels. As Global head of Originals, Susanne and her team created an international slate of award-winning programs collectively amassing billions of views, shining a light on incredible creators, important social topics, and introducing YouTube to new audiences. In short, YTO played an integral role in growing the YouTube creator economy.