YouTube - Stand-Alone Service or Bundle of Deals?

Since the Google acquisition, YouTube made a huge number of partnerships with powerful companies all over the world. Of course, the most important are the ones able to offer video content such as BBC or Chelsea FC. As you know, Google acquired YouTube in October 2006 for $1.6 billion, aiming to make it even more powerful. Of course, this intention doesn't necessarily mean the search giant planned to improve the product with more functions or features. Starting the end of the last year, YouTube debuted with a powerful campaign of partnerships with companies from the entire world.

Recently, Google made an agreement with Al Jazeera, one of the most famous TV channels that offered Iraq hot action. Using the deal, YouTube will enhance the content offered by the service with certain clips offered by the Qatar company. In the past, Google signed several deals just after the Viacom removal was started and meant to provide YouTube an important amount of content able to replace the clips removed by the company's employees. Among Chelsea FC, NBA and BCC, the online video sharing service signed an impressive number of deals, YouTube sustaining the number is almost 1000.

In the past, YouTube wasn't so attractive for other media companies able to provide video content. However, Google's product is currently based on two types of content: home generated videos uploaded by the users and other clips offered by other companies. Both types of clips are extremely important for the future of YouTube as the service is more and more challenged by other firms on the Internet. The best example is represented by Microsoft and News Corporation, two of the YouTube rivals that are planning to develop similar solutions and challenge Google.