Google may have just found a way to make YouTube profitable.
After buying the site for 1.65 Billion in stock back in ’06, Google hasn’t found a way to actually make a buck off of YouTube. So, amidst the recent news of Blockbuster going bust, Google has helped to kick Blockbuster while it’s down, announcing that YouTube will now offer Pay-Per-View movies.
New titles are expected to be about $5, and my guess would be the standard 24-hour rental period would stay put. What makes this intriguing isn’t the price, or the revolutionary nature of pay-per-view online (because it isn’t). No, it’s the fact that Google may have actually found a way to make money off of their investment, and that YouTube has more viewers than cable companies could ever dream of — a potential shift from cable to the internet, once again.
Hulu and Apple are also in the market to make some movie money, with Hulu adding Hulu Plus within the last few months, which hasn’t exactly taken off due to a lack of exclusive content. Apple is expected to revamped their TV offerings with iTV on September 1st, hoping to spur on the already successful rental service of the iTunes store.
Lots of players, one big game.
Article written by Lee C. Jaster on GotchaMovies.com. Reposted with permission.