YouTube Debuts Movie Rentals [Mashable]
Google's online video site YouTube is moving into the paid content sphere, with an announcement that users can pay to watch a selection of five independent feature films from the Sundance Film Festival. It has been rumored for a while that Google is at work on deals with Hollywood movie studios to bring their films to YouTube in an effort to create a rival for iTunes. This announcement, though limited, gives a grain of credence to that rumor as it announces plans Google has to continue rolling out other pay-to-view videos.
To rent one of the five titles currently on the site, users are required to key in payment information to a Google Checkout account that is charged by clicking on a link to view the video.
Google's announcement about additional content appears to indicate that feature films from Hollywood won't be among the next paid content added to YouTube, saying that their content partners include the health and education sectors. While there's going to be an audience for educational video, it looks like it will still be a while before mainstream Hollywood gets on board.
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