There are several reports out today insinuating that Google may be considering charging for premium content. The Guardian UK had indepth coverage on the possibility of YouTube charging for premium content. And according to the article, Eric Schmidt, Google’s CEO, said that “YouTube making money is a top priority”.
The only question is this – although YouTube might be your favorite website to visit, are you willing to actually pay for content on YouTube?
Google is looking to premium content providers such as Hollywood production studios, TV shows, and premium news channeles, to offer a pay per view model or even a subscription based model.
I’m quite sure that I won’t be paying for premium content on YouTube. I’m already paying for cable TV and I spend money on movie rentals. So the prospect of paying for content on YouTube is not very appealing.
I also think that until TV’s are more integrated with the Internet, the “paying for online video content” model is going to have an uphill climb!
What are your thoughts about the possibility of YouTube charging for premium content? Will you pay?