‘Buzzfeed Unsolved’ now costs money

For fans of the “Buzzfeed Unsolved” series that turned into the Watcher channel in 2022, producers Ryan Bergara, Shane Madeaj and Steven Lim have decided to create their own platform, Watcher TV.

The Watcher channel announced this new platform on YouTube. In a 14-minute video, Bergara, Madeaj and Lim reminisce about their life experiences that led them to create the Watcher channel. Their time at Buzzfeed was what initially started “Buzzfeed Unsolved: Supernatural,” the series that turned into “Ghost Files,” and without it, they wouldn’t have gained a following for the Watcher channel.

At the end of the video, they outline the new program they will use to post content, costs and what exclusive features subscribers will receive compared to what was available on the Watcher YouTube channel.

Funny enough, while discussing how the subscription would work, Madeaj encouraged fans to share account passwords so more people would have access to new seasons. Bergara, on the other hand, was quiet about encouraging people to share subscriptions, claiming that the reason behind the change was to adequately pay people who worked on Watcher shows.

When I watched this video, I imagined infomercial music in the background and Bergara saying, “For only $5.99 a month, you can pay for content you used to get for free on YouTube,” and I wasn’t the only person to feel this way.

Fans across the internet slammed Bergara, Madeaj and Lim for this choice, and said they were making a huge mistake.

A comment left by user UnpleasantAlex on the announcement video reads, “If a show doesn't perform well on (YouTube), where it’s completely free and fully accessible to the largest audience in the world, then explain how it’d get more views on an independent streaming platform with a subscription fee. These guys are the worst when it comes to business management and finances.”

I couldn’t agree more with this comment. As someone who only subscribes to Spotify Premium to avoid excessive subscription charges, The Watcher channel is in trouble. I didn’t think it could get worse, until it completely did when they posted an apology video for their announcement four days after the original video.

I’m not as invested in the Watcher channel as I used to be, but this is a disaster. In the first video, they claimed that a $5.99 subscription price tag was affordable for all of their fans. Then they dialed back, apologizing and saying it was offensive to assume all their viewers could pay a monthly price. Shane talked about how they would provide refunds to people who were misled or already had a subscription to their Patreon channel.

The details are complicated and will likely need clarification for many users. But that’s not why I’m concerned about the future of Watcher’s platform.

Once Ryan and Shane left Buzzfeed, there was a serious tone shift in the content they created. “Buzzfeed Unsolved” had a certain, jokingly satirical feel, with low-quality transitions, images and recreations of events when discussing true crime cases. Shane made fun of ghosts, Ryan and almost anything imaginable to add a light-hearted feel.

“Ghost Files” increased its production quality, decreased Shane’s shenanigans and had me less interested in the channel. I enjoyed the new locations the ghost bros decided to visit, but I didn’t laugh as hard as I used to watch “Buzzfeed Unsolved: Supernatural” with my friends.

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The subscription model is the quickest way to lose fans who have stuck with Watcher since they left Buzzfeed. I would never pay any money to watch content I used to get for free. Yes, I may miss out on the new seasons of “Ghost Files” and “Puppet History,” but I can watch the marathon of “Buzzfeed Unsolved: Supernatural” season four as often as I want.

Don’t apologize for something that you won’t change, even after people spoke up about their problems with the subscription model. Until they figure out how to make content available on YouTube that benefits both viewers and the Watcher team, I’ll be watching reruns instead of draining money from my coffee budget.

@earlgreyincense

elizonar@miamioh.edu