World Exclusive"YouTube to launch 100 online channels"

Partners in challenge to traditional TV industry include Wall Street Journal, Madonna, Ashton Kutcher and Shaquille O'Neal!

TV production companies and film studios getting involved include Lionsgate, the US company behind Mad Men and Nurse Jackie, which is creating a fitness channel, and X Factor co-producer FremantleMedia, which is to launch a pets and animals channel.

• Channels will be free to watch from any PC
• Move to turn YouTube into rival to cable and satellite TV
• First channels will roll out this autumn

The television channels will roll out on YouTube starting this autumn: Celebrities are to offer own-branded channels - Madonna (pictured) will have a dance-themed channel. Among the dozens of channels debuting are: 

>> Awesomeness, from Brian Robbins, the producer of "Smallville."
>> Car and Driver Television
>>"Life and Times," from the rap star Jay-Z
>> A pop culture channel from producer Ben Silverman
>>"Smart Girls at the Party" with Amy Poehler, Meredith Walker and Amy Miles
>>"Thrash Lab" from Ashton Kutcher
>> Madonna was reportedly planning to launch a dance channel


You can see the splash page for the channels here. 

The new channels provide the long-missing monetization piece for YouTube, providing content against which the Google-owned site can sell advertising.

In an effort to reach consumers in a multi-platform environment, Hearst Magazines has announced that the company will develop two new online video channels through YouTube. Hearst is one of among several publishers including Meredith and Rodale to roll out a plan to take advantage of the new space, which was made public on Friday.
"Today we're announcing that even more talented creators and original entertainment will soon join YouTube's existing channel lineup, including channels created by well-known personalities and content producers from the TV, film, music, news and sports fields, as well as some of the most innovative up-and-coming media companies in the world and some of YouTube's own existing partners," a blog post from YouTube says.

The company's goal with this channel expansion is to generate more diverse ranges of Internet entertainment with YouTube--according to news reports, there could be more than 100 total YouTube channels that are expected to generate at least 25 hours of new programming a day. This YouTube expansion, which is part of the GoogleTV initiative, brings incentives for content creators: prospective revenue dividends will likely be very valuable since Google is planning to share as much as 55 percent of the revenue generated from advertisers.

Hearst branded programming will first be available on the automotive channel with content from Car and Driver, Road & Track and Popular Mechanics. On the fashion and beauty channel, Hearst plans to bring content from Cosmopolitan, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, Seventeen and RealBeauty.com.

These new video packages and channels from YouTube will start rolling out this November; Hearst will begin pushing its new content in 2012. According to YouTube, video content will be accessible on any device that can gain Internet connectivity and all the social features of YouTube, like the ability to share on Facebook or Twitter, will be integrated with the new service.


According to reports, YouTube is paying $100m to producers as an advance on the advertising revenue that the videos will bring in. Advances are thought to be as much as $5m per channel and content creators are thought to be in line for more than half of all revenues made.

On Friday, Google also announced a new version of Google TV, adding search tools that expand results to include shows on cable or web-based services like Netflix and Amazon

To follow up on further updates, click on this link to gain the full story: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/oct/31/youtube-to-launch-tv-channels

What is are your thoughts?

Youtube titled strapline is 'Broadcast Yourself' higlighting the freedom to users to have creative control of what they broadcast for viewer appeal.

Do you think that will all change with more wealthier competition? 

World Exclusive - "Google Music expected to launch next month"

The Guardian confirms 'Search giant understood to be close to unveiling its first music service in bid to rival Apple's iTunes'.

Google is understood to be a month away from unveiling its first music service, which will combine an MP3 download store with a cloud storage system set up to allow people to store songs remotely and play them back on multiple devices, according to sources in the music industry.

The search giant has signed up fourth music major EMI and is in serious negotiations with market leader Universal – who together account for a third of all music worldwide. Sony Music and Warner Music, the remaining two majors, are also in talks with Google, although as yet neither are understood to be close to signing up.

Andy Rubin, the head of development for Google subsidiary Android, told a conference in Hong Kong that "I think we're close" to launching Google Music, and added that the service would have "a little twist – it will have a little Google in it. We won't just be selling 99-cent tracks."

He offered no timing for the launch, but sources in the industry indicated they believed Google Music would emerge in November. Universal acts range from Lady Gaga to U2, with the smaller EMI holding the rights to The Beatles and Pink Floyd.

The cloud storage service roughly mirrors Apple's iTunes Match, in that it will scan a computer hard drive for all the music stored on it – whether paid for or pirated – and will make those songs available to be listened to legally from the remote services. Music executives are enthusiastic about the idea because it gives consumers an amnesty for all previous illegal copies or downloads.

However, some of the music majors are keen that Google charges for its matching service, amid concerns that they do not want to see the search engine dramatically undercut its competitor. Apple charges consumers $25 a year cash – the service is only available in beta in the US – which in turn largely goes to the record companies as royalty payments, as a partial indemnity for years of piracy.

Google is aiming to sign up worldwide agreements with the music majors, although music executives believe that the company is most likely to offer Google Music in the US before expanding the offering to other countries, including the UK.

Check out future updates on http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/oct/19/google-music-launch-expected?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fmedia%2Frss+%28Media%29