According to Variety, it appears that Google's (NASDAQ:GOOGL) YouTube paid channel pilot is underwhelming content owners.

Launched last May, YouTube began testing the waters with select YouTube channels to offer paid subscriptions for as low as $0.99 a month. With only 60 channels now in the pilot, the issue could either be attributed to a lack of compelling content, or it could be a problem with brand association. If it's the latter, it'll certainly be a difficult challenge for YouTube to overcome. In the video below, Fool contributor Steve Heller gives his thoughts on what this could mean for YouTube longer term.

Fool contributor Steve Heller owns shares of Google. The Motley Fool recommends Amazon.com, Google, and Netflix. The Motley Fool owns shares of Amazon.com, Google, and Netflix. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.