Posted on Friday, April 08 2011 @ 0:21 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
WSJ
reports Google is prepping a major overhaul for YouTube that should help the site to compete with broadcast and cable television. The video sharing site will be refocused around "channels" covering topics from arts to sports, and people familiar with the plan said about 20 or so of these channels will feature several hours of professionally produced original programming a week. The search giant will reportedly spend as much as $100 million to create low-cost original content for YouTube.
YouTube is looking to compete with broadcast and cable television, some of these people said, a goal that requires it to entice users to stay on the website longer, and to convince advertisers that it will reach desirable consumers.
The site is planning a series of changes to its home page to highlight sets of "channels" around topics such as arts and sports. About 20 or so of those channels will feature several hours of professionally produced original programming a week, some of these people said. Additional channels would be assembled from content already on the site.
