Youtube Goes "Live", Further Pushing Pushing its Forays in Video

written by: Gianluigi Cuccureddu

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Published on Monday, 11 April 2011 14:46

Nice piece of co-creation, Youtube says that that it has offered the live streaming capabilities in direct response to user feedback. YouTube Live will integrate live streaming capabilities and discovery tools directly into the YouTube platform with a new YouTube Live browse page at www.youtube.com/live.

Google said in a blog post:

"With over 2 billion views a day, it's easy to think about YouTube as a place to watch videos recorded in the past. But you've told us you want more - and that includes events taking place right now.  In response, we've live streamed a number of popular concerts, sporting events, and interviews, but primarily on a one-off basis."

Google is working on a major site overhaul of YouTube to organize content around "channels" as it increasingly tries to position itself to produce and monetize high quality video on the internet following its acquisition of Next New Networks earlier this year. Earlier this week we reported on "social channels" on Youtube.

Changes to the homepage would include building channels around topics such as arts and sports. So far, YouTube is looking to introduce ~20 "premium channels" that would feature upto 10 hours of professionally curated original programming.

Recently, the Wall Street Journal reported Google wants to make YouTube as a broadcast platform pushing for original content, ideally to make the site friendlier for viewing on living room televisions instead of just computer and smartphone screens.