YouTube is Perpetually Closing its Creator Focused City Spaces – The need for large physical sites may soon start to look like an outdated idea for businesses that finds it easy to operate online. The pandemic prompting tech companies from Facebook to Twitter to embrace remote working. And so goes for YouTube, the pandemic has pushed it to embrace a virtual and pop-up events model.
The video-sharing platform is shifting away from one of its major workspace projects for creators toward a hybrid model that combines virtual events with intimate pop experiences. The company was launched in 2012, YouTube spaces offered video makers a professional studio setting (complete with equipment such as DSLRs, green screens, and lighting rigs) in London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Rio, and Tokyo. The company was forced to shut down many of these locations when the pandemic hit last year and now it says it won’t be reopening.
The company plans to continue the virtual sessions it has been running while its space remained shut amid covid-19 lockdowns, alongside smaller popup events when restrictions ease. YouTube has hosted its online sessions in over 145 countries, reaching 70,000 audiences.
“This flexible new strategy will allow us to reach more regions, positively impact more new and existing creators and artists by giving them the guidance and resources they need to take their craft to the next level,” YouTube said in a blog post.