http://www.crn.com/software/210800370
October 08, 2008
Like That YouTube Video? Google Adds Click-To-Buy Feature
Google plans to add a "click-to-buy" feature to its YouTube video unit that would allow users to buy songs, video games, movies or any other content that could be sold online. "When you view a YouTube video with a great soundtrack, you often see comments from YouTube users asking about the name of the song and where they can download it. Or when users watch the trailer for an upcoming video game, they want to know when it will be released and where they can buy it," wrote Glenn Brown, YouTube strategic partner development manager, and Thai Tran, YouTube product manager, in a blog post on Google's Web site.The new feature is Google's latest attempt to make more money from its massively popular video-sharing site, which until now had relied on advertising hot links to generate revenue. Google paid $1.65 billion for YouTube in 2006. The click-to-buy feature will be unobtrusive retail links placed on the watch page beneath the video with the other community features, Brown and Tran wrote in the blog. "Just as YouTube users can share, favorite, comment on, and respond to videos quickly and easily, now users can click to buy products-like songs and video games-related to the content they're watching on the site," they said. The company has started by embedding iTunes and Amazon.com links on videos from companies like EMI Music and providing Amazon product links to the newly released video game Spore on videos from Spore's publisher Electronic Arts, according to Google.
"This is just the beginning of building a broad, viable e-commerce platform for users and partners on YouTube. Our vision is to help partners across all industries-from music, to film, to print, to TV-offer useful and relevant products to a large, yet targeted audience, and generate additional revenue from their content on YouTube beyond the advertising we serve against their videos," Brown and Tran wrote. In addition, companies that use Google's content identification and management system can enable these links on user-generated content by using Content ID to claim videos and choose to leave them up on the site.
Retail links are currently only available in the U.S., but the goal is to expand the program to additional content and international users, according to Google.
"We'll be experimenting with the UI over time to make sure this works for our community, and we'll continue to innovate based on your feedback. We're just getting started, so stay tuned for other innovative new features and product options soon," Brown and Tran wrote.
Posted by Scott Campbell at 8:01 AM
This seems like a good marketing idea.
God forbid they try to make money off of their business.
God forbid they try to make money off of their business.
lol, my thoughts exactly... Seriously, as long as it isn't forcing you to CLICK ON ME TO CONTINUE, should we care? You do realize the millions of dollars it costs to host all those poops people make.
Yeah, at least it doesn't force an ad-click to actually view the video.... for now? 
Dang internet is full of communists.
YouTube's bandwith must be up the wazoo, so I'm just happy with anything they do which keeps it free.
...this said, I'm astonished they haven't started offering premium director accounts for movies over 10 minutes. People would buy that in droves. Heaven knows if a crappy place like Yuku can have premium pay privlidges, YouTube could.
Yeah, at least it doesn't force an ad-click to actually view the video.... for now?
Exactly. It's bad enough dealing with that crap when I'm checking out stuff on Deviantart.
Google needs lots of money to buy the internet and make it neautraaal
I want to see how this all turns out with Google in the long run.
I want to see how this all turns out with Google in the long run.
$$$$$ <----- that's how it'll all turn out
That definitely seems to be the case, I just want to see how much money they make per year out of all of this. If there's a certain limit as to how much they make per year, that is...
Can you be satisfied with "enough money to make sure all of their services remain free for all to use?"
As that's kind of Google's schtick and they've become excedingly efficient at it.
That definitely seems to be the case, I just want to see how much money they make per year out of all of this. If there's a certain limit as to how much they make per year, that is...
To be honest, I'm not entirely sure if there is a certain limit as to how much Google makes per year.
Can you be satisfied with "enough money to make sure all of their services remain free for all to use?"
As that's kind of Google's schtick and they've become excedingly efficient at it.
I always kinda wonder how long Google can get away with what they're doing, giving away so much of their stuff.
I also think it's funny because a lot of their services like Feedburner or the Google Maps API have advanced features that they label as Pro or Enterprise, and you're like, "Okay, how much to upgrade," and they're like, "Did you click the upgrade button yet?" and I'm like, "No, not yet," and they're like, "Well click on it," and then I click it and they're like, "Okay, you got it now." and I'm like, "What, no cost?" and they're like, "Fo' reals!"
I work in a large cavernous room with no other human beings for six hours out of the day, of course I talk to my computer, and yes, it talks back.
"Even more?"
They were making money off of Youtube?
Huh. That's not what CNBC said. =/
Why you they buy Youtube if they don't intend on making money off of it?
They did intend to make money off of it.
...They just haven't. Yet.
