How Are YouTube's Channels Performing?

On Thursday, May 9, Google GOOG made its first attempt to persuade consumers to pay for content on YouTube. Despite the promise of big-name stars and high-end content, YouTube did not launch its paid channels hub with the likes of Ashton Kutcher or Sofia Vergara, both of which were expected to be on board. AwesomenessTV, the popular teen and tween channel that was acquired by DreamWorks Animation DWA, was also absent from the list. Instead, YouTube's paid hub launched with a series of lesser-known stars, indie filmmakers, girls in bikinis and other oddities. To see if YouTube's effort has paid off, Benzinga dove into 15 of the site's paid channels (and regretted every minute of it). Louis Bedigian is the Senior Tech Analyst and Features Writer of Benzinga. You can reach him at 248-636-1322 or louis(at)benzingapro(dot)com. Follow him @LouisBedigianBZ