The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that YouTube, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., plans to open an online store for streaming video services.
According to the report, which cited people familiar with the recent discussions, the company has renewed talks with entertainment companies about participating in the platform, which it refers to internally as a “channel store.”
According to the report, the platform has been in development for at least 18 months and may launch this fall.
The upcoming launch would enable YouTube to join companies like Roku Inc. and Apple to get a portion of the already crowded streaming market as more consumers cut the cord on cable or satellite TV and switch to subscription-based streaming services.
The New York Times reported that Walmart Inc. had discussions with media companies about incorporating streaming entertainment into its membership service earlier this week.