YouTube is launching 96 new channels, as part of its bid to create more original and professional programming in a context that is familiar and acceptable to advertisers.
The new channels span a variety of genres, initially funded by about $100 million in grants from YouTube to content creators . 96 new YouTube Channels
Here's a look at the formats and positioning of the new channels, which will start to launch in November 2011. Original Channels
YouTube has said it would start creating some professionally-produced video channels and has invested more than $100 million in cash advances to get some of the content produced, the Wall Street Journal reports.
YouTube thinks the new channels will allow it to create a better environment for advertisers who have been reluctant to advertise around user-generated videos. Google is expected to share ad revenue with channels at some point. YouTube to launch 25 channels
The 25 or so new channels that will offer professionally produced news, information and entertainment. Partners expected in the the first round include Warner Bros., ShineReveille, BermanBraun, FremantleMedia and skate boarder Tony Hawk.
Additional potential partners include Everyday Health, Iconic Entertainment and DECA, which creates online-video content for women.
It might be premature to start thinking of YouTube as a "cable TV" distributor, anymore than it makes sense to think about Hulu or Netflix currently representing such an alternative. But things are heading that way, some would say.
YouTube’s "Promoted Videos" program hit a major milestone this month, hitting half a billion views. This figure certainly lends more credence to recent conjectures that the video-sharing site might, in fact, be starting to generate significant revenue, if not profits, for Google.
Think about Twitter's "Promoted Tweets" and you will get the idea.
The Promoted Videos program launched two years ago, and, according to the YouTube blog, has seen a six-fold increase in viewers clicking on these creator-sponsored vids in the past year (advertisers basically pay to have these videos appear in search results, on the YouTube homepage and on video pages).
Gary Kim has been a digital infra analyst and journalist for more than 30 years, covering the business impact of technology, pre- and post-internet. He sees a similar evolution coming with AI. General-purpose technologies do not come along very often, but when they do, they change life, economies and industries.
YouTube has said it would start creating some professionally-produced video channels and has invested more than $100 million in cash advances to get some of the content produced, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Additional potential partners include Everyday Health, Iconic Entertainment and DECA, which creates online-video content for women.
