YouTube Edging Closer to Hollywood

Site starts showing full-length TV episodes, films

(NEWSER) - YouTube is abandoning its 10-minute video limit to show movies and full-length TV episodes, starting with Star Trek, MacGyver, and Beverly Hills, 90210. The Google-owned juggernaut is responding to competition from Hulu and other sites, reports USA Today. It’s also adding “pre-roll” advertisements that play before a video rather than embedded links that allowed users uninterrupted viewing. More»

Amazon Prime customers can now access 7K shows, 2K movies

(NEWSER) - Netflix and Hulu beware: Amazon has struck a new blow in the battle for streaming content. A deal with NBCUniversal has added some 1,000 movies and TV shows to the web giant’s streaming library. Alongside a deal with CBS, Amazon now provides its Prime customers—who pay $79 a year for free shipping and other perks—with 7,000 TV shows and 2,000 movies, Mashable reports. Meanwhile, Netflix faces a setback as customers quit over its new pricing plan . More»

Payment option considered for premium content

(NEWSER) - YouTube is considering offering users a "you pay" subscription option that would give them access to premium TV shows and movies, according to a Google exec. The site is keen to expand its ties with Hollywood and show more full-length programs, but some content wouldn't be available under its current advertising model, David Eun tells Reuters. More»

(NEWSER) - Hey, you! Yes, you, the guy who keeps posting video of your nephew batting a ball into your brother’s family jewels. You’re going to kill YouTube, warns Benjamin Wayne of Silicon Alley Insider. Owner Google will lose $470 million this year on YouTube because, he writes, “less and less of YouTube’s library will be revenue-contributing, while the costs of delivering that library will continue to grow.” More»

Sharing ad revenue boosts income for YouTube and lets videomakers hone skills

(NEWSER) - YouTube's "partnership" deal with users is generating cash for both sides, the New York Times reports. Splitting ad revenues helps YouTube avoid the copyright kerfuffles that have hamstrung much of its moneymaking potential. Hundreds of partners are making thousands of dollars a month, the company says, allowing some self-made celebs to quit their day jobs. More»