Google's never-ending quest to make YouTube turn a profit will make a predictable change of course in the coming days, as the company begins to investigate the possibility of paid videos. Advertising support alone clearly isn't enough to keep the YouTube bills paid, and some of the more creative ventures Google has tried haven't yet panned out. As a result, the search giant has been looking for premium content provided by big-name media giants, such as an announcement at the end of last year to host MGM movies.

Now, they're taking that one step farther, and may be introducing pay per view videos on YouTube. This isn't an official announcement yet, but recently Google has been working with Sony and others to bring even more premium content into the site. The idea is that Google will be able to offset the expense of operating YouTube with a certain amount of videos that cost cash to view.

Good idea or not so much? YouTube users will decide ultimately, though I imagine it largely depends on how Google pitches it. Video on demand is definitely on the rise and perhaps Google will be one provider of them.