News came through a couple of days ago that YouTube have agreed a deal with MGM to feature full-length movies on the site, in an MGM-branded channel. You Tube already has a deal with CBS to show episodes of all sorts of stuff like CSI or Big Bang Theory, but this will be the first content that stretches to really significant length of viewing experience for consumers. The titles being talked about for launch are hardly earth-shattering (Bulletproof Monk, anyone?) so it feels like a fairly cautious approach from MGM for launch, but nevertheless it's an interesting development.
So, we move away from the snackable, 'you own it' style of content that YouTube built its reputation and massive following on and shift to a much more traditional channel through which to broadcast content from the establishment.
What does this tell us? Is the bubble bursting on UGC? Well, its true that this style of content becomes less appealing (for older viewiers at least, I would think) as the broadcasters catch up with technology. Now I can get 'decent' content at lunchtime through iPlayer, ITV.com, Channel4.com etc, I'm less interested in watching people break their femurs whilst attempting a 360 heelflip, or at least I think that was it as the resolution on his mate's cameraphone is so shit I can't really see anything.
Closer to the undoubted truth is that this is all about money. YouTube struggles to generate advertising revenue against a load of home videos that shiny brands don't fancy being associated with. Films are another matter - that I can buy!
Going back to the resolution issue, one has to assume that YouTube will broadcast these movies in something worth watching as opposed to grain-o-vision. Even then though, will we want to sit for two hours in front of our computer monitors?
But maybe this is nothing to do with me. I'm too old. A generation of people are being brought up with this as a main method of consuming content. Their experience of it is all that matters. Resolution be damned! Immediacy wins over quality. And portability is a big draw. With YouTube naturally synced into the current generation of mobile handsets, films on YouTube become a free library of movies on the move. With this kind of content perhaps YouTube is cracking how to monetise the modern viewing habits of youth.
Might need something better than Bulletproof Monk though.
-- Alex
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