14 DAY TRIAL // We've already reported that Google is interested in getting into the in game advertising business, with Google AdSense for Games being launched in public beta, with the intention of targeting Flash, downloadable and casual games. Now, YouTube, which is owned by Google, also reveals that, in order to create new ways of exploring its advertising potential, it will begin selling videogames and music in an effort to increase the revenue it brings.
At the moment, the concept is to partner up with Amazon for the videogame sales and with both iTunes and Amazon when it comes to music sales. The people at YouTube say that they have plans to offer sales services for films, TV shows, books and concert tickets in the near future.
Shishir Mehrotra, who is the director of product management at YouTube, stated that “There'll be lots of different solutions for lots of different problems. We've tested a lot of things already, and we're going to be testing more in the future. Some will work, some won't”. As with most Google services, this one will also be in an indefinite beta, as the developers are figuring out how to make people more interested in the advertised products.
As YouTube is one of the biggest sources of videogame related video materials, it's certainly a good idea to make sure that people watching a very interesting video can click on a link and quickly buy the game which generated that interest. One of the most high profile products which will benefit from the new move will be Electronic Art's Spore, which shows that Google really means business with this option.
Piper Jaffray Research, an analyst group, has estimated that YouTube could earn around 200 million dollars by the end of 2009 through the new partnerships with Amazon and iTunes. So, when watching that cute clip of a new creature someone sends you, be sure to watch out for the link which makes you download Spore.