AfterDawn: News

YouTube to play full TV episodes with ads

Google has announced that it will begin offering full-length TV episodes through its YouTube platform beginning this week, thanks to a content deal with CBS.

“This is what the users want,” noted Jordan Hoffner, the director of content partnerships for YouTube.



The videos will of course be free to YouTube users but will have advertisement before, during and after the episode, similar to rival video site Hulu which promotes NBC Universal content.

Shiva Rajaraman, a senior product manager for YouTube, added that the company is still searching for the "right ad format for the right content experience.” For the time being it remains committed to in-video overlays for short clips but is still experimenting with longer videos.

Users heading to the CBS page on YouTube will find classic shows such as “MacGyver” and "Beverly Hills: 90120" as well as newer shows such as “Dexter” and “Californication.”

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 11 Oct 2008 17:03

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• 11 comments

• Shegax

  Finally! Well done, but this is long overdue. So much overdue as a matter of fact that this should have been done years ago! Companies bickering and bickering, suing and suing stifles our technology from bettering by leaps and bounds. God! we could be Like Star Trek if we really wanted to as a human race. This is not how I envisioned the future as a little kid.

  11.10.2008 19:59 #1

• borhan9

  This is great news i think as Sgegax has said it best this is long overdue even with the ads in place at least this way it brings back the control of watchin what u want when you wanr. Kudos Google.

  11.10.2008 22:11 #2

• varnull

  That's how I see it too.. These media corporations are killing our future by their greed.
  
  I can't stand the low res junk on goobtube, but enough people seem to want to save the 320x240 video to tell me that people don't care about quality if the content is there.
  

  
  
  Free open source software = made by end users who want an application to work. The flower of carnage-shura no hana

  11.10.2008 22:20 #3

• rvinkebob

  I'm assuming this is US only again...

  12.10.2008 03:09 #4

• 13thHouR

  Originally posted by varnull: That's how I see it too.. These media corporations are killing our future by their greed.
  
  I can't stand the low res junk on goobtube, but enough people seem to want to save the 320x240 video to tell me that people don't care about quality if the content is there.It's a start though, this is a good thing jan you sexy little beast you. x
  
  :-p
  

  The RIAA - BPI - IFPI - CRIA - Ect - Ect Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, EMI.
  The MPAA Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, DISNEY, PARAMOUNT, FOX.
  
  Dont allow them to hide behind the trade body names, name and shame em.

  12.10.2008 03:41 #5

• atomicxl

  This is all the big media companies have been asking. You want to use the content we spend money to make, thats cool. Just compensate us for it. Its pretty fair all around.
  
  If Hulu can generate a profit, I think its the ideal business model for streaming commercial content over the net. Really I wish over the air tv would accept the Hulu model of having way more commercial breaks, but each one is only like 15 seconds rather than having those huge 1 minute+ breaks where you can scan all the TV channels and come back and find its still showing commercials.

  12.10.2008 08:31 #6

• Leningrad

  ummm... Personally if that came to be true, then i would just exit youtube when the the show is finished, instead of watching the ending ad.

  13.10.2008 12:17 #7

• 13thHouR

  Originally posted by Leningrad: ummm... Personally if that came to be true, then i would just exit youtube when the the show is finished, instead of watching the ending ad.Have you ever heard of SplicD ?
  
  http://www.splicd.com/
  
  It enables you to post youtube viedos to a url starting at a said time and finishing at another given time, what adds?
  
  Originally posted by link: what is splicd?
  
  Splicd allows you to isolate an interesting tidbit from a YouTube video and provides you with a link to share it with your family, friends, and colleagues.
  

  The RIAA - BPI - IFPI - CRIA - Ect - Ect Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, EMI.
  The MPAA Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, DISNEY, PARAMOUNT, FOX.
  
  Dont allow them to hide behind the trade body names, name and shame em.

  13.10.2008 13:39 #8

• subpopz

  Originally posted by varnull: I can't stand the low res junk on goobtube, but enough people seem to want to save the 320x240 video to tell me that people don't care about quality if the content is there.
  While this is a start, I know what you mean about the low-res. I can't watch youtube now as it is. I didn't buy this hi-def monitor to sit back and watch pixelated low-res youtube.
  I'll pay attention when this (hopefully) evolves into streaming 720p.

  13.10.2008 18:17 #9

• miltex

  I presume that you cannot fast forward through the commercials ?
  

  When the chips are down, you can count on miltex !

  13.10.2008 18:35 #10

• Ragnarok8

  Streaming high quality videos probably won't catch on for at least a short while. The commercials aren't too bad, there's tons of stuff to do on your computer while you wait for it...you don't actually sit through the ads.

  14.10.2008 00:01 #11