Vessel
Pay $3 to watch YouTubers three days early.
CAUSE OF DEATH: Verizon bought it on October 26, 2016 and shut it down five days later.
Vessel launched in early 2015 from two former Hulu executives, with backing from Benchmark, Greylock and Jeff Bezos's investment firm. The pitch: pay $3 a month to watch YouTube stars' videos at least 72 hours before everyone else got them free. It asked people to pay to skip a three-day wait for something free. On October 26, 2016 Verizon announced it had bought the company. On October 31 Vessel was closed. Verizon only wanted the staff, to fix its own video service, go90. That service shut down in 2018, after an estimated $1.2 billion in total spending. Vessel sank, and then the ship that rescued the crew sank too.