With YouTube being one of the most popular websites on the internet and continually growing in that fashion, it's no wonder that its owner, Google, is determined to hunt out the gold mine that's just waiting to be tapped.It's difficult to think of ways that YouTube could really turn into a revenue stream but, if there's a way, Google will find it. Its latest attempt at turning the free video broadcasting site into a money-spinner is a team-up with electronic commerce company Amazon and online media service iTunes.
When a YouTube user accesses the site to view the music videos of their favourite artists, Google has craftily programmed the video portal to proffer links enabling the user to purchase the song on either Amazon or iTunes. Amazon and iTunes make an easy sale and a percentage of the transaction drops into Google's wallet.
Which is pretty good - it's not invasive or annoying and means that Google will be kept happy for a while longer before it does start implementing ads that are both of the above. It's also the beginning for the Mountain View giant's next stage of YouTube moneymaking. The new ad system will be extended from music videos to games, so users watching clips from video games can purchase the software if they like what they see.
It's possible that Google could extend this idea pretty far across the breadth of YouTube. For a fee, companies advertising products and services could place ad links to their products. Teachers offering free music or language lessons could advertise their books, CDs and DVDs and small music artists could make a buck or two selling their EPs through YouTube users watching their videos and liking what they see.
Since YouTube attracts around 3 million viewers monthly, it's hard not to see that a great deal of money could be made from the site. However, Google is happy enough sitting tight on its gold mine. It's doubtful that users will begin to dwindle on the ever-changing site, meaning that Google - which purchased YouTube for $1.6 billion - can take its sweet time and concentrate on developing revenue streams that will keep YouTube's appeal.
