YouTube to launch "channels" with scheduled programming

[Shawn Knight]

YouTube will soon be delivering more than a dozen "channels" that will provide regularly scheduled programming covering topics such as sports and fashion. Parent company Google is expected to finalize and launch the service early next year, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Google was looking to spend $100 million to fund professionally produced video content exclusively for YouTube back in April. At the time it was rumored that there would be around 20 dedicated channels featuring five to 10 hours of new programming each week. This latest development likely solidifies those reports.

YouTube has reportedly asked for some of the content to be ready within the next two months, one would assume for beta testing or quality control purposes.

Sources say that Google wants to directly compete with television programming as well as other video service providers. The plan is to have programming air on a similar schedule like you would find on network or premium television channels.

Once initial investments have been replenished, YouTube will invite partners in for ad revenue sharing. There’s no word regarding if these channels would come as part of a paid membership or be made free for anyone to view.

Google was one of many names on the list for a potential acquisition of Hulu in August. At the time, it was believed that bidding could range from as little as $500 million up to $2 billion for the video streaming site. If Google was able to acquire Hulu and perhaps merge content with this new YouTube venture, online streaming could get much more interesting over the next several months.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/45629-youtube-to-launch-channels-with-scheduled-programming.html

 

[Guest]

Google is HUGE!!! But really what is the practicality of it when you can just turn on the T.V?

 

[Modena]

I never watch tv anymore, well for football. This would be great for watching shows I like exactly when I have time to watch them.

 

[lawfer]

Once initial investments have been replenished, YouTube will invite partners in for ad revenue sharing. There?s no word regarding if these channels would come as part of a paid membership or be made free for anyone to view.

Why would they charge users for something like that? More importantly, who would pay to--what is essentially--watch T.V.?

 

[NTAPRO]

I wouldn't mind watching CartoonNetwork and Boomerang since I have no cable and CN got funny and left regular cable here :/

 

[treetops]

Pssh if youtube obtains hulu half of hulus videos would be taken down. I like the idea but its to bad the shows will be limited by youtubes sensorship.

By the way I was assuming that these would be unique shows not rebroadcasts.

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

Wow, Google really takes the cake for coming up with ideas that I completely can't understand the demand for. it's like TV over the internet? What?! So I sacrifice my perfect HD channels with my DVR to watch on the internet with loading, buffering, (and you know commercial breaks), but I don't even get to start the show 'on demand'?! And unless i'm using an HTPC I won't have DVR capabilities to fast forward commercials and pause/rewind. AND, that still only would appeal to people who watch streamed content on their TV and not their computer.

Clearly google has too much time AND money.