is YouTube going to make it?

**Asclepeos** · 09-30-2006, 10:59 PM

I got berated by 'professionals' because I actually think YouTube can survive, by adding more features along with a profit mechanism.

What do you guys think?

**jasonsplace** · 09-30-2006, 11:24 PM

I know that many people think that it will fail but I think it will survive. The more traffic you bring in the more money big companies are willing to pay to advertise on your site. In the early days of YouTube they had small companies advertising and now they've gotten to the point where movie companies are using it to promote there movies.

**nocrapchurch** · 10-01-2006, 12:28 AM

I read an interesting article about this last month:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2010339,00.asp

There are some interesting stats including YouTube dropping $1.5 million a month just to operate. The author's ultimate conclusion is that they won't make it.

**argonauta** · 10-01-2006, 12:44 AM

the thing is, that if youtube doesn't make it, somebody will come with a better idea that works, for internet video stuff. People already had the taste, and we all know we like it, so I don't think this is going to disappear.

**lefteyewilly** · 10-01-2006, 12:53 AM

Originally Posted by argonauta

the thing is, that if youtube doesn't make it, somebody will come with a better idea that works, for internet video stuff. People already had the taste, and we all know we like it, so I don't think this is going to disappear.

exactly...that's why i think an existing DOT com will succeed in buying youtube and making it work along with their other services. youtube itself can't operate by itself with it's current model.

**Frets** · 10-01-2006, 01:00 AM

Dvorak is for the most part a pompus idiot.

He's the master of hindsight and the mental midget of foresight.
He's been wrong more times then right. He is so busy looking at the failures
of the dotcom fallout he rarely sees the successes from that same error.

Plain and simple... They eyes have it. If you can keep the eyes you can connect with the advertiser. No other web site is featured as part of a weekly news show or newscast as youtube. It is all pervasive. When the LG15 story broke every major news program did a bit about it. Bree was on every single talk show. The mentos guys were also highlighted. I can't think of a single web site that garners as much attention by the media or the surfing public then youtube.

Dvorak quickly forgets the amazon.com story. They too were pumping out a lot of money for a long time with no return. Because they were constantly re investing.

I think he's just eating sour grapes because he isn't getting the traffic youtube is.
So long as youtube doesn't blow it with pop up ads they'll find thier niche.

**Jujumon** · 10-01-2006, 01:12 AM

So long as youtube doesn't blow it with pop up ads..

is flashkit going to make it?

**Jeff2A** · 10-01-2006, 01:14 AM

Originally Posted by Asclepeos

I got berated by 'professionals' because I actually think YouTube can survive, by adding more features along with a profit mechanism.

What do you guys think?

The profit isn't the issue (they have enough viewers, they can turn that into ad revenue).

The problem is that most of their traffic is watching videos that violate their own TOS, and US copyright law. Nobody's going to fork out money to buy YouTube (the real goal for those currently running it) with that sort of liability hanging over their heads.

If they can't work out an agreement with the RIAA/MPAA, they're going to have to hope that one of their member corporations buys them (like Sony bought Grouper).

**Jeff2A** · 10-01-2006, 01:15 AM

Originally Posted by Frets

Dvorak quickly forgets the amazon.com story. They too were pumping out a lot of money for a long time with no return. Because they were constantly re investing.

YouTube isn't reinvesting, they're burning Sequoia's capital on bandwidth. Lots, and LOTS of bandwidth (last I heard it was around 20gbps, and increasing 10-20% per month).

That's a pure loss. Not just a paper loss, a real loss.

**jasonsplace** · 10-01-2006, 02:22 AM

Originally Posted by Jujumon

is flashkit going to make it?

Don't count on it...

**drunknbass** · 10-01-2006, 08:42 AM

im sure myspace will merge/ or buy them out and continue that path. i read somewhere about all these different things trying to succeed. like photobucket, myspace, wordpress, youtube, etc.
they all offer 1 thing and are good at it, but the company that will dominate will be one that offers it all, and offers it well.

**nordberg** · 10-01-2006, 04:29 PM

it doesn't matter at all whether or not youtube survives. the take-away here is what youtube has done and the people it has attracted. this is a phenom that should never be judged by its P&L, but how it actually altered the course of internet history.

**lefteyewilly** · 10-06-2006, 12:55 PM

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - Internet search leader Google Inc. is in talks to acquire the popular online video site YouTube Inc. for about $1.6 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing a person familiar with the matter.

Mountain View-based Google and San Mateo-based YouTube are still at a sensitive stage in the discussion, the newspaper reported on its Web site.

The blog TechCrunch had reported on rumors of the acquisition talks. Representatives from Google and YouTube did not immediately return calls to The Associated Press.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15157075/

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