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TV Industry Fights Back; YouTube Could Stay Amateur's Home
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Just when you thought Google's new media giant YouTube had the traditional broadcast industry by the cajones, TV companies are beginning to mount a backlash. Just days after Viacom announced a pact with rival Joost, a tentative deal between YouTube and CBS Corp. has also collapsed.
Today, the Wall Street Journal reports that Google and CBS couldn't agree on such important issues as how long the deal would run. And rather than focus on a pact that could have meant guaranteed ad revenue of more than $500 million for "Googtube," the companies will now work together on more modest initiatives.
Last June, NBC had announced it would work with YouTube to place promotional clips and ads on the site, but last week, according to the Journal, the general counsel of NBC sent Google a six-page letter demanding that it keep unauthorized content off the site.
With entertainment conglomerates continuing to backtrack from YouTube, the public's favorite home for amateur content and do-it-yourself videos could appear to be staying that way, with professional TV material migrating to sites more closely monitored by the studios themselves. While that might upset Google's bottom line, YouTube's filmmaking community may be able to preserve their own predominance on the site.
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