Google would like to sell premium content on Youtube
We all remember the fantastic crash and burn of Google Video before it gave up and just bought Youtube, so it should come as no surprise that Google would like to sell streaming videos online. The problem of course is that even if the newest TV shows and movies were offered without commercials and at the same time as on iTunes or Amazon On Demand, streaming just doesn't seem worth as much as a downloadable file. And since the studios really don't like to give anyone any additional leverage in content negotiations, it would be hard for Google to offer the same content, in a less portable way, for a lower price. Of course the real answer is to offer rentals, but for some reasons only Netflix has been successful in acquiring a license to stream the latest TV Shows in HD on a subscription basis. But Google is bigger than Netflix and since Youtube streams far more content than anyone else on the web (10.5 Billion views in October vs second place Hulu at 856 Million according to comScore) the company might just find a way to leverage its position to bring us a new way to catch our favorite show.
