Google has confirmed that it will be adding 3000 movies to its YouTube movie rental service.
It is unclear what films will be available but reports have stated that Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. have all signed up.
Says Salar Kamangar, Head of YouTube:
Today, we’re going to start adding around 3,000 new movie titles for rent available to users in the U.S. (more on this in a post later today) that will be accompanied by reviews and behind-the-scenes movie extras. Whether it’s short movie trailers, funny movie parodies or full-length blockbuster films, we encourage you to sit back and settle in to the YouTube movies experience.
In addition to expanding our movie offerings, we’re also bolstering our investment in the content that’s already being viewed by hundred of millions of people on YouTube. Our 20,000+ partners—folks like Machinima, Annoying Orange and Ryan Higa—are producing original content for the web and commanding TV-size audiences for their own brand of programming. Through YouTube Next, we’re helping fuel the creation of this type of content with initiatives like the YouTube Creator Institute and YouTube NextUp, following past initiatives like Partner Grants (which brought us Key of Awesome, creators of one of 2010’s most-watched videos) and $1,000 B&H Photo credits. In the coming year, we’ll bring even more content to YouTube. Building on the success of Partner Grants and YouTube NextUp, we’re providing even more resources to creators who you’ll know from TV or Hollywood, and to existing YouTube partners who have already built loyal audiences on the site. Look out for more details on this in the coming months.
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Google is actively looking to begin an unlimited streaming subscription service, one that will rival Netflix and Amazon, and may launch it first in the UK.
The search giant has been in talks with the major studios for months but may begin in Europe first where there is much less competition.
Netflix does not currently offer services in Europe but Amazon, following their purchase of LoveFilm last month, has a strong foothold.
For now, Google has put aside $100 million for content deals with the studios.
The NYPost says the plan is being lead by executive Robert Kyncl, who left Netflix last September.
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Even YouTube’s most enthusiastic fans (like Michael Wesch, whose Anthropology of YouTube video we mentioned recently) tend to overlook one very disappointing fact — you can’t easily save videos to your hard drive.Luckily it turns out that, while YouTube certainly doesn’t make it easy, it is in fact possible to download and save videos for offline viewing. In fact, there’s a whole cottage industry of developers building tools that allow you to download YouTube videos.
Lifehacker points us to YouTube File Hack, which can be used as either a standalone application or from Internet Explorer via a menu item that offers to download YouTube videos. I took it for a spin this morning and it does indeed work. Now I have my very own copy of skateboarding dog lovingly preserved for all eternity.
While YouTube File Hack is the easiest tool I’ve tested for IE users, it isn’t the only means of grabbing a YouTube movie.Safari users have it easy, just open up Activity Monitor and double click the actual video file. Safari will happily download an FLV for you. Firefox users can check out Lifehacker’s Better YouTube extension which uses Greasemonkey script to insert a “download this video” link next to every YouTube movie.
There are several other Firefox plugin out there, as well as a few other standalone apps. If you have a favorite method be sure to let us know.
