It looks like there is some truth to the rumors that YouTube is thinking about a paid subscription model for some of its original channels. YouTube Vice President Robert Kyncl told a group of reporters in Los Angeles that subscriptions were "incredibly important" as a tool to create "additional revenue streams" for content creators, and that while getting people to pay might be tough initially, "over time, a lot of people will figure it out," reports The Wall Street Journal.

It’s far from an official announcement, but it’s no secret that YouTube thinks original content is the way forward. Last year, the company pledged $200 million in marketing cash to the effort, and it's been featuring original channels more prominently in its recent site redesigns. And with many of YouTube’s biggest content partners reportedly unhappy with the lack of ad revenue coming in so far, it only makes sense to explore every possible way to monetize their work. It's obviously still too early to say which channels will go pay-to-watch, but the 12 short sci-fi films that director Ridley Scott is working on for Machinima are expected to be part of the group, says a Journal source.