Without Big YouTube Star, Google Faces Setback in Content Plans

  • YouTube drops PewDiePie, pillar of its new paid video service
  • Loss dents Google’s attempt to rival Netflix, Amazon

What’s the Key Catalyst for Google’s Growth?

Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

In December, Felix Kjellberg threatened to take his star power off YouTube.

Turns out, it was a ruse. The Swede behind the PewDiePie character admitted in a video that he was trying to boost his YouTube fan numbers to more than 50 million. Irreverence like this has turned him into the biggest celebrity on YouTube and helped the Google site become the world’s largest online video service.