<videovortex> bbc: nothing but good about youtube

[Geert Lovink]

  Video service YouTube grows up

  By Darren Waters
  Technology editor, BBC News website
  
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YouTube may have started life as an online repository for wacky home 
videos but has quickly grown up to become a professional media platform 
that has transformed the way global broadcasters look at content and 
audiences.

UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has more time on his hands now that his 
premiership is ending, but it was still a surprise to see him endorsing 
YouTube.

In a short clip recorded especially for a press event, he described the 
video service as a "shining example of innovation".

He said he had been shocked to learn that he was the first world leader 
to have his own YouTube channel.

But it is clear that everyone from politicians, global media firms, 
teenagers in bedrooms to self-publicists has learned the power of 
YouTube.

Given its impact, it may raise a few eyebrows to learn that co-founder 
Steve Chen says the firm is committed to a "engagement, not 
interruption model".

Quite simply, YouTube has not merely interrupted the broadcasting model 
of the 21st Century, it has torn it to shreds and shaped it anew.

Everyday hundreds of millions of videos are watched via YouTube. Every 
minute of every day, six hours of fresh video are uploaded.

"Our goal is to have YouTube on every screen - to take it from the PC 
to the living room and the mobile phone."
Steve Chen, YouTube co-founder

According to analysts Ellacoya Networks, YouTube videos account for 10% 
of all traffic on the internet and some experts fear that its 
popularity threatens the very foundations of the internet itself.

In one day, YouTube sends the data equivalent of 75 billion e-mails, 
according to network specialists Cisco systems.

YouTube has re-defined how the world thinks of media creation, 
consumption and distribution and with more than half of the traffic the 
site now receives originating outside the US, it is truly a global 
media player.

"We want to entertain, inform and empower the world through video," 
said co-founder Chad Hurley in an interview with BBC News.

  When it started YouTube was a quick and easy method of sharing home 
made video with friends, but exploded as users realised they could also 
post short clips from TV shows, movies and music videos.

'Taking action'

"YouTube is about more than entertainment, it's about education, 
inspiring people and taking action," said Mr Hurley.

He said: "It's truly about people contributing original content and 
sharing expertise and talent with the rest of the world."

Fellow founder Steve Chen told BBC News: "If you go to the site today, 
there's a great mix of professionally produced content, next to user 
generated content."

And that is a sign of how YouTube has matured - the firm has signed 
deals with more than 1,000 partners, and more than 150 deals with 
content providers in Europe since March.

The founders of YouTube may appear to be Generation X slackers - Steve 
Chen is 29 and Chad Hurley is 30 - but they speak the language of 21st 
Century media executives.

Mr Chen said: "YouTube is a platform, a distribution vehicle.

"We don't produce content but we give content creators the ability to 
reach an audience perhaps they weren't able to reach before - perhaps 
they didn't have distribution or syndication vehicles to reach the 
audience.

"We have upload mechanisms to mass upload files and tools to create 
branded channels."

Rather than bury its head in the sand, mainstream media has decided to 
embrace YouTube.

'Great content'

"YouTube changes the way media is consumed and messages are delivered," 
said Mr Hurley.

He added: "The partnerships are just providing more great content for 
the audience with new opportunities for media companies to get in front 
of people wherever they are spending time.

"We are about all types of content on our site. What's different is 
that we haven't been making the decision about what is popular - the 
community does that."

But as quickly as the firm grows, legal cases claiming copyright 
infringement are landing on its doorstep.

But the founders said they had not been distracted by the legal action.

Mr Hurley said: "It's not a distraction because from day one we have 
always obeyed the law and been aggressively working on technologies and 
creating policies and partnerships to create options."

And for any media executives who still think that YouTube and online 
distribution is a passing fad, the YouTube creators were clear about 
the future.

Mr Hurley said: "There are exciting new opportunities to distribute 
content.

"We have been fortunate to create a popular site - but we won't be the 
last."

Mr Chen added: "Our goal is to have YouTube on every screen - to take 
it from the PC to the living room and the mobile phone."