Official Blog
YOUTUBE UNVEILS ECOMMERCE PLATFORM
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
SAN BRUNO, Calif. – October 7, 2008 –
YouTube, the leading online video community that allows people to discover, watch and share originally created videos, today announced a collaboration with iTunes and Amazon.com that offers the YouTube community direct access to buy and download music, games, and other products with a few clicks of a mouse. This is a first step to building a broader eCommerce platform for content partners and users on YouTube.
The YouTube eCommerce Platform will be rolled out on a larger scale over the coming months to allow partners across all industries including music, film, TV, and publishing to generate additional revenue from their content beyond the advertising we serve against their videos. Just as YouTube users can share, favorite, comment on, and respond to videos with a single click, now users can click-to-buy products -- like songs, books and movies -- related to the content they're watching on the site.
“YouTube content partners now have the ability to promote and monetize their content in a new and exciting way and create a deeper distribution channel for their content online,” said Chad Hurley, co-founder and CEO, YouTube. “Our goal is to improve the overall YouTube experience by connecting consumers with relevant information and entertaining content. The addition of retail links will enhance the viewing experience and allow people to engage more deeply with the content they want to consume.”
“Amazon.com is always looking for new ways to make discovering and buying products as convenient as possible for our customers, which is why we’re excited to collaborate with YouTube,” said Scott Merlino, Senior Manager, Amazon Associates Program (Amazon’s affiliate marketing program). “Now in the context of the YouTube experience visitors will be able to discover and purchase products from Amazon.com that are relevant to the content they are viewing.”
Non-obtrusive retail links to buy songs from iTunes and Amazon.com will appear on the watch pages of authorized video content from companies such as EMI Music. YouTube users watching music videos from their favorite artists will be able to click on buttons that link to the corresponding pages on iTunes and Amazon MP3 where they can buy and download that music. Those partners who use YouTube’s content identification and management system can also enable retail links on claimed videos that they choose to leave up on the site.
The YouTube eCommerce Platform is currently available in the United States. Over the coming months, the platform will be expanded internationally.
The iTunes Store is the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store with a catalog of 8.5 million songs, over 30,000 TV episodes and over 2,500 films including 600 in stunning high definition video. With Apple’s legendary ease of use, pioneering features such as iTunes Movie Rentals, integrated podcasting support, iMix playlist sharing, the ability to turn previously purchased tracks into complete albums at a reduced price, and seamless integration with iPod and iPhone, the iTunes Store is the best way for Mac and PC users to legally discover, purchase and download music and video online.
Amazon MP3 is Amazon.com’s digital music store that offers over 6 million DRM-free MP3 songs from all four major music labels and thousands of independent labels that can be played on virtually any hardware device and managed with any music software.
Like What You See? Then Click-to-Buy on YouTube
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
When you view a YouTube video with a great soundtrack, you often see comments from YouTube users asking about the name of the song and where they can download it. Or when users watch the trailer for an upcoming video game, they want to know when it will be released and where they can buy it.
Today, we're taking our first steps to providing YouTube users with this kind of instant gratification, by adding "click-to-buy" links to the watch pages of thousands of YouTube partner videos. Click-to-buy links are non-obtrusive retail links, placed on the watch page beneath the video with the other community features. Just as YouTube users can share, favorite, comment on, and respond to videos quickly and easily, now users can click-to-buy products -- like songs, books, and movies -- related to the content they're watching on the site. We're getting started by embedding iTunes and Amazon.com links on videos from companies like
EMI Music
, and providing Amazon.com product links to the newly released video game Spore(TM) on videos from
Electronic Arts
.
This is just the beginning of building a broad, viable eCommerce platform for users and partners on YouTube. Our vision is to help partners across all industries -- from music, to film, to print, to TV -- offer useful and relevant products to a large, yet targeted audience, and generate additional revenue from their content on YouTube beyond the advertising we serve against their videos. And those partners who use our content identification and management system can also enable these links on user-generated content, by using Content ID to
claim videos
and choose to leave them up on the site.
These retail links are being gradually added to our library of music videos and are currently only available to users in the United States, but our goal is to slowly but surely expand the program to additional content and product partners, as well as our international users. We'll be experimenting with the UI over time to make sure this works for our community, and we'll continue to innovate based on your feedback. We're just getting started, so stay tuned for other innovative new features and product options soon.
Have fun,
The YouTube Team
Dubya Stars in The YouTube Screening Room
Friday, October 3, 2008
Two weeks ago, we announced
Lionsgate's
sponsorship of the
YouTube Screening Room
-- our platform for premium film content from around the world -- with a line-up of religious satires in honor of Bill Maher and Larry Charles'
"Religulous"
, which opened in theaters today.
Now it's our great pleasure to bring you a round of films that examine the real lives of real people in conjunction with Oliver Stone's highly anticipated
"W."
, a biopic of the 43rd President of the United States, in theaters October 17.
In this line-up, you'll see the Academy Award-winning documentary,
"Thoth"
, a chronicle of the life of S.K. Thoth, one of America's greatest street performers;
"Heavy Metal Jr."
, a hilarious and heartwarming documentary, nominated for a BAFTA, following the Irish heavy metal band, Hatred (and its 13-year-old members!), as they prepare for their first gig ever;
"Peter and Ben"
, a touching documentary about the unbreakable bond between two 'black sheep,' which won the Aspen Shortsfest this year; and
"Great White Hunters"
, winner of a Tropfest Comedy Award, about a group of friends who have made a hobby of hunting the world's greatest hunter.
Also, if you haven't done so already, be sure to submit your video to the
"W."
trailer mash-up contest, accepting entries through October 17.
Enjoy the films,
Sara P.
YouTube Film
Register to vote: Deadlines looming!
Friday, October 3, 2008
The U.S. presidential election is just over a month away, but you won't be able to exercise your right to vote on November 4 unless you've first registered to vote. And those deadlines are approaching fast - in many states, the deadline is next Monday, October 6.
How do you find out where to register? Google has created a great maps platform into which you can type in your home address and get information on where to register in your state - you can find it at
maps.google.com/vote
.
If you want to learn more about this easy-to-use platform, see
this video
made by our friends at Google, which we're currently featuring on the Worldwide homepage. We're also featuring two more voter registration videos -- one was shot by
Leonardo DiCaprio and friends
, especially for the Google Maps platform launch, and the second comes from YouTube's own
Citizen Kate
, who participated in the
"Voter Vlog Tag" project
, a YouTube community project started by
JoeFelice
that aims to get YouTubers to tag each other with the task of getting their friends to register to vote.
Keep your eyes peeled for the creative ways YouTube users are utilizing the site to encourage you to vote, and make sure to get out and register NOW on
Google's new platform
! And as always, stay on top of the latest election news directly from the candidates on our
You Choose '08
platform.
Yours,
Steve G.
YouTube News & Politics
YouTube Comes Alive With YouTube Live
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Today we announced YouTube Live, a celebration of the vibrant communities that exist on the site, to be held on November 22 in San Francisco and streamed for a potential worldwide audience of millions.
YouTube users have been gathering informally for years, but this is the first time that YouTube is officially leaping off screens for an event unlike any other. With live performances, celebrity guests, original videos, surprise collaborations and much more, the event will mix elements of a concert, variety show and party, with YouTube phenomena always at the core. Here's a idea of what to expect:
Go to
www.youtube.com/live
for all the latest news on the event, including a list of who's already onboard to appear, and to take our survey, which is your chance to tell us what you would expect from an event like this. (You can also leave a comment below or on the video above, or post a video response to that clip.) The channel will also contain information on how to apply for tickets to attend the event in San Francisco.
You'll be hearing from us a lot more about YouTube Live between now and November 22, so stay tuned to our channel, this blog and, naturally, the videos on the site talking about the event. Finally, we'd like to thank sponsors Activision, Lionsgate and Virgin America for helping to make YouTube Live possible.
Yours,
The YouTube Team
Register to vote: Deadlines coming fast!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
The U.S. presidential election is just over a month away, but you won't be able to exercise your right to vote on November 4th unless you've first registered to vote. And those deadlines are approaching fast - in many states, the deadline is next Monday, October 6th.
How do you find out where to register? Our friends at Google have created a great maps platform where you can type in your home address and get information on where to register in your state - you can find it at maps.google.com/vote.
To bring attention to this easy-to-use platform, a merry cast of celebrities just released a video we're featuring on our homepage.
From now through next Monday, we'll be featuring a different "register to vote" video on our homepage. So keep your eyes out for the creative ways YouTubers are using the site to remind you to vote, and make sure to get out an register yourself on Google's new platform!
Yours,
Steve G.
YouTube News & Politics
Your Money, Your YouTube
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Get a better handle on your finances with a collection of smart, sound videos on the
Your Money
channel, which launches today.
With the markets in the headlines every day, people are seeking out more information on every subject from financial markets to personal finance and tips on debt management. Presented with
Bank of America
,
Your Money
is a one-stop shop for content from some of the most respected names in the world of financial reporting -- and some of the YouTube channels that deliver smart advice on how to get your own financial world into better shape.
Whether you want more info on managing credit card balances, some investing tips or a new way to balance your budget, you'll find info you can use in one place. You can even track stocks in the Your Money stock ticker. Check back often: our partner channels are always reporting on new financial developments and coming up with new tips for the money-savvy user. We'll be adding more videos every week, so you can watch
Your Money
grow over time.
Yours,
The YouTube Team
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