In what could be an important development for producers of premium content, YouTube is planning ways to charge for some videos, according to Google CEO Eric Schmidt's comments during this afternoon's earnings call.
Greg Sandoval over at CNET News.com published this quote in his post:
"We do expect over time to see micropayments and other forms of
subscription models," but the first priority is advertising, Schmidt
said Thursday while discussing the company's first-quarter financial
results. "We'll be announcing other things in that area very very soon"
More on the potential payment model from Stephen Shankland at CNET News.com.
If Apple can charge for video on iTunes, why not YouTube. Inevitably there will emerge a two tier level scenario for entertainment and informational content on the web: free and subscription based.
This could be a boon for for YouTube and producers of premium content who presently rely on relatively low CPM-based advertising – or who just use the giant video sharing site for promotional purposes.
Very exciting.
— Andy Plesser, Executive Producer
