YouTube Is on a Roll

Just yesterday, it was Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer that signed a deal with YouTube (acquired by Google (GOOG)), allowing the video site to run full-length versions of movies (although the initial selection was somewhat less than stellar). Today, the site announced a deal with Freemantle Productions, the creators of the American Idol reality-show franchise, that will see the production company create a channel for all of its existing shows, but also a new channel for exclusive content that it will create specifically for YouTube.

Soon, YouTube will be carrying ad-supported TV shows from CBS , clips from LionsGate (LGF) movies with pre-rolls and post-rolls, full-length movies from MGM and exclusive content from one of the world’s leading reality-show producers.

Not bad for a site that started with video clips of funny cats and skateboard pratfalls, and is still considered by some to be a kind of trailer-park ghetto of video (yes, Mark Cuban, we’re looking at you). With Hulu.com adding plenty of mainstream content too, the competition in online video definitely seems to be heating up.

Disclosure: None

Comments

[Dor Kalev:]

amazing!

2008 Nov 11 07:57 AM

[RitaLin:]

BTW, this might be useful: www.youtube.com

2008 Nov 11 09:44 AM

[Dan Rayburn:]

On a roll? You have to be kidding.

If the American Idol website only made $13 million last year, and this newly announced deal with YouTube does not include any American Idol content and will feature lesser known programming, why is this a big deal? YouTube won't make much money at all.

And running movies on YouTube that no one wanted to see in the movie theatre or rent, is no big deal either. None of the MGM content is going to be first-run content that appeals to the masses.

And the CBS deal with YouTube is no big deal either. All of the CBS content is "short clips", "mini-previews" and "promotional videos" - terms used by CBS to define the content on YouTube.

And look at the number of views the CBS videos on YouTube have gotten. Many clips that have been up for 6 months don't even have 20,000 views total. The average clip length is between 2-3 minutes long.

"With Hulu.com adding plenty of mainstream content too...." What mainstream content has YouTube added? You say "too" as if YouTube is doing what Hulu is doing, but that could not be further from the truth.

2008 Nov 11 10:48 AM