Imagine watching YouTube in the same way you watch television, in other words, for hours at a time instead of just blocks of ten to fifteen minutes or so. Well that’s exactly the way that Chad Hurley, CEO of YouTube sees it going.
Hurley was giving an interview to the British media to mark YouTube’s 5th anniversary where he outlined his vision.
“People think about the world of TV and the world of online video as being different ways to distribute video. But what happens when every TV is connected to Wi-Fi with a browser?
“What does that mean for your distribution opportunities?
“What happens when those worlds collide and it is just one thing? Instead there is just one world, the world of video, and people everywhere are putting ads against everything and there isn’t a difference.
“There won’t be a difference in the future” said Hurley.
Salar Kamangar, vice president of product management for YouTube said he could see the financial benefits of such a move.
“Although YouTube is the most successful video platform, the number of minutes watched, 10-15 minutes a day, is small when compared to the five hours watched on the TV set” he said.
“It’s hard for me to imagine that in five to 10 years from now most of the content we consume won’t be delivered over the internet.
“Once the number of minutes is large enough that brings along with it a whole new set of revenue opportunities such as the future of the way people buy TV ads, the ads purchasing process, the way you track it and report it”
There’s no doubt that YouTube is at the forefront of digital entertainment and personally I don’t find it hard to imagine watching it in the same way we watch TV, the idea is pure genius and Chad Hurley’s vision for the future is entirely feasible.
Incidentally, Hurley has already received numerous awards for his achievements to date. Recently he was selected by the International Academy of Web Television to receive the Streamy Visionary Award which recognises those who have made a significant contribution to the digital entertainment community.
“I’m honoured to be recognized with the Visionary Award,” said Chad. “Thanks to the YouTube community, the media platform we created has grown into a destination where billions of people connect and shape the world through video each day.
“Witnessing YouTube’s evolution has been inspiring and humbling” he said.
