YouTube Unveils eCommerce Platform

Agreements With iTunes and Amazon.com Provide New Revenue Stream for Content Creators; Platform Enables YouTube Community to Buy Music and Games

Last update: 3:01 a.m. EDT Oct. 8, 2008
SAN BRUNO, CA, Oct 08, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- 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.
About YouTube
YouTube is the world's most popular online video community allowing millions of people to discover, watch and share originally created videos. YouTube provides a forum for people to connect, inform and inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution platform for original content creators and advertisers large and small. YouTube, LLC is based in San Bruno, CA, and is a subsidiary of Google Inc.
via MarketWatch