YouTube is growing behind our backs

Recently, I was disappointed to find that most of the episodes from season four of The O.C. were taken down on YouTube. After some clicking around I did end up finding the episode I wanted to watch, but it only gives another example of licensing issue that YouTube has been having with content from major media companies like NBC, and FOX.

But will YouTube stay a site of personal videos and “hidden” illegal content for long? In a recent New York Times article, YouTube is reported to have been signing smaller partnerships in order to deliver free content to YouTube viewers. It is recorded that about 200 small media companies have been added.

For example YouTube made a deal with the NBA, so that the NBA could put out authorized videos, and fans could add their own clips. Wind-up records also made a deal with YouTube so the record company could stream their music for people who wanted to make their own videos with the music.

According to YouTube, though, most of these deals are being made privately. There have been over 1000 dealings that YouTube and Google has made with media companies. A quote from the article linked above reads, “[T]he deals are a sign that a growing number of companies are becoming comfortable with displaying their content on the site”.

So, will big media companies eventually realize that their viewers want the free content for the taking? Only time will tell. Consumers will always get their way in the end, and these small dealings that YouTube has been initiating is just the beginning of a possible revolution in the music and media world.