Google goes Shopping for Videos

The word on the business side of things is that online search giant Google, Inc. just bought online video site YouTube for $1.65 Billion. All I can say is “wow”…that’s a lot of money to pay for anything. The new alliance joins together two of the internet’s most trafficked sites. However, it begs the question - Can big business and billion dollar advertising deals be good for the entertainment and us, the consumers?

Let me backtrack - For those of you that aren’t familiar with YouTube, the site allows people to post their own videos as well as copyrighted content. The size of YouTube’s audience is undeniable as it’s the web’s number one spot for video sharing. That type of reach makes it a seriously valuable advertising asset. This will enable them to become almost like an online TV/radio station and start to reap in the media advertising dollars that juggernauts like ABC, NBC, and CBS are pulling in right now. Obviously, Google will have to legitimatize the network (i.e. get rid of the copyrighted material) to avoid litigation.

But as entertainment consumers, will this hurt us? Think of it with this analogy – a sequel to a successful movie is usually of less quality than the original in terms of story quality, impact, and heart, despite the fact that the sequel has a brand name to tout and a bigger bank account funding it. This is the same scenario with YouTube. It got to where it is today because it was a great original idea and represents the voice of the user. The site’s community has a certain pulse and flavor to it. As you start talking about advertising deals and partnerships, you start to see money as the primary incentive and big business flooding the site with what it wants you to see, not what we want to see. By the way, on Monday, YouTube also announced new partnerships with Universal Music Group, CBS Corp. and Sony BMG Music Entertainment (They’ve also struck a deal with Warner Music Group). It’s inevitable that more studios and labels will continue to hop on board and start staking their claim.

Now, I’m not sure exactly how Google will manage it’s new acquisition, but I’m sure that they’ll be trying to make some serious money off their billion dollar investment. I just hope that in doing so, they don’t allow YouTube to stray too far away from what made it a draw in the first place.