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April 7, 2011

YouTube wants to compete with the boobtube

Finally, YouTube is planning to bring some order -- and more professionally produced content -- to the chaos of content that is its site.

The WSJ is reporting today that YouTube, owned by Google, plans to restructure its home page into a bunch of "channels" to make it easier for us lazy viewers to browse such content as "arts" or "sports." (Umm, how is this different from its current design, WSJ?)

The company also plans to pump a $100 million to commission "low-cost content" designed exclusively for the Web, the WSJ says. Let's hope this "low-cost content" isn't really a synonym for "crap."

Here's why these changes matter, per the WSJ: The pending changes are a big bet by the world's most-popular video site to push in a new direction. Between the Wild West of user-generated content and the pricier precincts of full-blown TV shows, Google is hoping to carve out a niche of original, professionally produced Web videos that it hopes will cultivate loyal viewers.

But seriously, YouTube, let's chat for a moment. Who are you trying to be? Everyone loves watching videos of chattering twin babies and talking dogs? Such video clips are HUGE, and probably bigger than anything YouTube will ever professionally produce. So why spend the $100 million? Because you have it? Okay, well, that's a good enough answer, I guess.

Can YouTube's professional content ever beat the Bed Intruder video?


This is an archived version of the technology blog. For updated coverage, see the current baltTech location: baltimoresun.com/balttech
Posted by Gus Sentementes at 1:22 PM | | Comments (1)
Categories: *NEWS*
        

Comments

I HOPE they don't turn Youtube into another Google TV. Plus, there's so much bad TV out there, especially when you're stuck to the channels the Cable co's offer. With an internet connection, you can get a ton of stations online and not pay the high cable fees or Netflix a la carte fee. I use TVDevo.com for watching live and on-demand shows.

Posted by: Monica | April 8, 2011 1:02 PM

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About Gus G. Sentementes
Gus G. Sentementes (@gussent on Twitter) has been writing for The Baltimore Sun since 2000. He's covered real estate, business, prisons, and suburban and Baltimore City crime and cops. He was one of the first reporters at The Sun to use multimedia tools and Web applications -- a video camera, an iPhone -- to cover breaking news. He hopes to cover Maryland geeks and the gadgets and Web sites they build, and learn -- and share -- something new every day.

Gus has a wife, a young daughter and two feuding cats. They live in Northeast Baltimore.
This is an archived version of the technology blog. For updated coverage, see the current baltTech location: baltimoresun.com/balttech
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