YouTube To Allow Video Rentals

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday January 20, 2010 @10:28PM from the viral-rentals dept.

poopdeville writes "Starting Friday, Google and YouTube will allow movie rentals. The first five films available to rent through YouTube will cost $3.99 for a 48-hour viewing period. Movie studios will be able to set their own prices, with rental viewing windows ranging from one to 90 days. YouTube will get an unspecified commission from each rental. Barclays Capital analyst Douglas Anmuch expects YouTube to generate about $700 million in revenue this year, an estimated 55 percent increase from 2009. If YouTube hits that target, it likely will turn profitable, helping to justify the $1.76 billion in stock that Google paid for the site more than three years ago."

1 of 215 comments (clear)

Re:International Viewing? by Anonymous Coward · 2010-01-20 23:47 · Score: 0, Troll

I don't understand. What do you mean by states? We don't really have those in Europe. Do you mean countries? If that's the case it seems obvious that one country can't issue licenses for another. It's like asking why Australia would issue licenses for the USA. Or have I misunderstood what you meant?