14 DAY TRIAL // For individuals with a poor connection to the Internet, this may come as good news. The most popular video-sharing website, YouTube, is currently considering to let people download its favorite videos directly from the site. Te new measure, if adopted, is meant to act as an alternative to streaming video online, which can be very cumbersome for some connections. Google is not yet sure if it will allow the videos to be downloaded for free, or for a small fee, but a final stance on the matter is still to be taken.
YouTube product manager Thai Tran says that, if the company decides to go for a “small fee” version, then Google could easily implement its own check-out service, thus making the entire process very simple. “Many video creators on YouTube want their work to be seen far and wide. They don't mind sharing their work, provided that they get the proper credit,” the official reveals in a blog entry.
This is just the latest effort on the part of YouTube to increase its profits from the social media site, which handles daily several millions of clips. By inserting this fee, Google hopes to score big, simply because of the fact that if only 5 percent of YouTube visitors downloaded at least one movie, then the sums would be pretty consistent. In addition to the revenue problem, the search engine company also tries to address growing complaints from the music and film industry, which are worried that the site may be the place where licensed material is exchanged and modified without the users paying the due fees.
“We've started working with a few partners who want their videos shared universally and even enjoyed away from an Internet connection. We're also testing an option that gives video owners the ability to permit downloading of their videos from YouTube,” Tran goes on. He argues that video copyright owners could operate under a Creative Commons license, which would basically give others the right to copy and replicate their work, within certain limits both parties agree to.
Some videos belonging to lectures held at Stanford and Duke Universities are currently up for free grabs on YouTube, as the site is testing its abilities to supply glitch-free download services around the globe. Soon, Tran states, the “distribution and revenue-generating tool” will also enter testing.