YouTube to boost original, professional programming

YouTube will start rolling out next month a set of new channels with original programs next month, as the video site beefs up its offering of exclusive, professionally-produced content.

These new channels are meant to complement YouTube’s core user-generated amateur videos and the non-exclusive, professional movies and TV shows it redistributes.

The strategy is intended to attract more viewers to YouTube, already the web’s most popular video site, and offer advertisers new opportunities for marketing their products.

The new channels will also make YouTube a more direct competitor to producers and broadcasters of original, professionally-produced programs, including other Internet companies like Yahoo, as well as TV and cable networks.

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YouTube Expands Movie Rentals

Google has added roughly 3,000 new titles to those available for rental on its YouTube video service, as the company continues to shift its focus away from its homemade video roots to professional entertainment content.

Salar Kamangar, head of YouTube, said in a Monday blog post that Google will also continue investing in original content for the website, which Google acquired in 2006. Google is seeking to expand the length of time users are spending on the service. “You’re spending just 15 minutes a day on YouTube, and spending five hours a day watching TV,” Mr. Kamangar said. “As t

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YouTube Wants Users to Broadcast Their 24th of July

In a post on YouTube’s official blog, Google’s video service announced today the launch of a video experiment titled, “Life in A Day,” an attempt to team up with users to film various moments during this coming July 24th. These moments can range from, “a neighborhood soccer match,” says the post, “or the extraordinary–a baby’s first steps.” In addition, if your clip tickles YouTube’s fancy it has a chance to be added to the final documentary edited by Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland, One Day in September) and executive produced by Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Black Hawk Down). The final product wil

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A Record Deal via YouTube and iPhones

Kim Yeo-hee, the 22-year-old South Korean known on YouTube as “applegirl002,” is making the leap from viral video sensation to recording star.

YouTube
Kim Yeo-hee, also known as “applegirl002,” landed a record deal from her homemade YouTube videos.

Ms. Kim three months ago joined legions of wannabe singers by putting up a homemade video on YouTube. But hers had a twist: She used iPhones and music-creation apps as accompaniment.

“I have many songwriter friends, who introduced me to various music applications,” she said. “Since I bo

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