Following news that the BBC iPlayer ain’t gonna be free for much longer according to the head of BBC technology, it could be additionally good news that YouTube is set to offer TV programs as part of their service. It is reported that talks are ongoing between ITV, channel 4, Sony, and Google (who own YouTube and are hardly averse to big partnerships and even bigger market shares) to discuss the possibility of adding TV shows to the service.
In all honesty, the BBC should probably be more wary of charging for their service because a number of streaming TV type sites are set to launch in the UK and as more and more of us turn our attention to watching Internet TV and Internet TV hardware continues to improve, it may completely negate the need for a TV channel such as the Beeb (a shame though that would be, stranger things have happened). Consider the impact that an Internet enabled TV with Google widgets would have if you can start to watch TV shows through YouTube – you can guarantee that ITV and Channel 4 would only be the beginning of an influx of channels wanting to take part.
Hulu and TV.com are the two video streaming sites that are readying themselves for a UK launch and while YouTube/Google peeps have not confirmed these reports, Sony has said that it is in talks with Google to offer their shows on the YouTube service.
