YouTube to Launch Movie Rental Store

YouTube, the Google-owned video sharing site that claims to serve an average 96 videos per person to 135 million viewers each month, is building an automated system that will let movie makers upload full-length movies to the site’s recently launched video rental store.

Some observers think that feature might be most valuable for filmmakers unable to get much distribution from other outlets, especially independent filmmakers who cannot gain distribution on Netflix or Amazon, for example.

The service “will give moviemakers the ability to upload and provide their streaming content for rent,” MediaPost writer Laurie Sullivan says. Rental movies will be available in 1080-pixel resolution, much higher than the TV and movie streams on Hulu. Payments will be made through Google Checkout, a Paypal-like service.