Is Google eyeballing YouTube?
Posted By RichC on October 7, 2006
Rummors have been floated recently that internet powerhouse Google is looking to buy online video company YouTube. (see Businessweek) Like MySpace, the #3 destination on the Internet, YouTube has exploded onto the Internet scene as one of the top ten sites (see US Top Ten) on the web and most likely the largest bandwidth user. ($$$) When considering the number of terabytes of data YouTube floods the Internet with, and that it has not proposed a ‘for profit’ model as of yet, then perhaps selling to Google makes sense for them … but I’m not so sure it is for Google?
A purchase of YouTube by Google, this decades web services innovator and builder, would be out of character in my opinion. That in combination with the fact that Google already has its own relatively popular ‘user-driven’ video site, YouTube would be a duplication of effort. (although most probably agree that Google Video falls short when stacked up to YouTube’s usability) Nevertheless, Google has the cash to acquire bits and pieces in it goal to remain the preferred ‘Search plus Online application’ site on the Internet and they just might … although to me it would make more sense to aquire a ‘social networking’ leader.
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