When Google acquired online video sharing Web site YouTube back in October 2006, folks wondered what the purcahse would mean for Google’s existing—though not wildly popular—online video service Google Video.
Now, Google has started to talk about its plans for bringing Google Video and YouTube together. For one thing, Google Video’s search index will now include video search results from YouTube: when users click a matching item from YouTube, they’ll be taken to the YouTube site to see the view, rather than having the material appear within the Google Video interface.
According to Google, the goal is to let YouTube continue to operate as a separate entity which services as a content “destination,” while Google Video evolves into a central search engine for online video, regardless of where it’s hosted. As such, Google envisions YouTube will play host to most user-generated and premium video content as the sites evolve, while leveraging Google technology and Google video for search, distribution, and monetization.
Some industry-watchers consider this move an attempt by Google to “rub off” some of YouTube’s magic on the languishing Google Video, pointing out that YouTube is the leading online video destination (number two is MySpace), with Google Video taking a distant third place 18 million users behind YouTube. But others find some shrewdness in the move, noting that Google has no need to compete against itself for top placement in online video destination sites, and might do better to convert Google Video away from a role as a video destination site and use its technologies to bolster YouTube’s success against its (non-Google) competitors.
