YouTube Redesigns Site to Highlight Premium Content

04/06/2009

YouTube has announced that it is currently redesigning its website in a new format that will feature both premium content and user produced content. Two sources that are familiar with Google’s plans for the popular online video sharing site have stated that the site will be doing away with its current navigation scheme which includes tabs for Videos, Channels, and Community. Instead, there will be tabs which will take users to clearly defined professional content.

The tabs that the new design will feature include Movies, Music, Shows, and Videos. The first three listed will take the user to premium shows, movies, and clips from Google’s network and partners. This content will be funded largely by in-stream advertising. The final tab, Videos, will be devoted to primarily amateur and semi-pro content that the major brand advertisers have been leery of.

A senior agency executive who has been briefed on the situation reports that what the site is trying to do is build up walls between user generated content and other content that is brand safe.

Even the site’s video player is going to receive a facelift. The new interface will be more similar to Hulu – an online video portal owned by News Corp and NBCU that has experienced significant growth since it was first introduced last year. This new video player features many similarities including visual markers denoting when scheduled ads will pop up and a “dim the lights” function which allows the user to darken the screen area surrounding the player.

Another agency source reported that Google will not be selling entire episodes to one advertiser or brand. This will make it slightly different from ABC and NBC, in that respect, that commonly do offer advertisers exclusive rights to sponsor a single episode. Other online video companies such as Hulu and CBS are more open to allowing more than one sponsor per episode.

The newly overhauled YouTube is scheduled to make its appearance on April 16th. It was originally scheduled to be launched sooner, but YouTube has postponed it for undisclosed reasons. For the past 6 weeks the company has been sending out launch packages to agencies.

Agency execs in general are very excited about the site’s new design, but they still have some doubts regarding the programming that will be offered. The programs that have already been scheduled are older shows such as MacGyver, Beverly Hill 90210, and the original Star Trek series. So far there are no plans to air current shows.

Google has stated that it is currently working with ways to offer YouTube ad inventory using its Google TV system of buying Cable TV spots. A few Google TV advertisers are going to be able to test out this new system by buying ads on Google partner sites and YouTube. This will allow advertisers to place commercials in the breaks of online videos. The idea is to assist Google TV advertisers connect with users across various online video platforms.

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