Nobody see’s YouTube as pay-and-view content provider, rather as see- for-free user generated content facilitator. In a move, which is seen as a direct challenge to Apple as related to distribution of film and television content, Google is in talks with leading Hollywood movie studios to launch a global pay-per-view video service in YouTube by the end of 2010.
The plan is to launch the service first in USA and then take it to other countries. The Hollywood studios are also supposedly excited with the idea as this will be an additional arena for them to make money and might prove to be the most profitable in the long run.
Google will reportedly use its search technology as well as YouTube to direct users to the new services. And with Google and YouTube’s loyal users already on-board, it will likely be an easy venture to become a great success.
Google has not been able to make much money from $1.65bn buy—YouTube. But this initiative might turn out to be the money-churning tool for them. But there will be lots of competition from companies like Apple, Amazon and others who are already online and ready, and those who are also planning to offer such services. We can only wait and see who rules the roost and who calls it a day!!!