Google tries yet another way to monetize YouTube

Google is still experimenting with ways to make money off of YouTube. So far, the company has tried text ads, pre-roll ads, and leveraging its Video ID content monitoring to spur more ad buys. Now it's taking a different tack--making YouTube a launching pad for e-commerce. The company announced that it is adding click-to-buy links to several YouTube videos that let users purchase anything from songs to movies to video games. And the move looks far more promising than its previous ad-focused strategies.

Via partnerships with Amazon, Apple's iTunes and Electronic Arts, so far, users can purchase songs or music videos they watch on YouTube by clicking buttons that take them to Amazon.com or Apple's iTunes music store. They can also buy video games, such as EA's Spore, via the Amazon link as well. Both Amazon and iTunes will share revenue with YouTube when users click to buy via the site. The result? YouTube could become a huge e-commerce site. As Google says in its blog announcing the move:

This is just the beginning of building a broad, viable eCommerce platform for users and partners on YouTube. Our vision is to help partners across all industries -- from music, to film, to print, to TV -- offer useful and relevant products to a large, yet targeted audience, and generate additional revenue from their content on YouTube beyond the advertising we serve against their videos.

It makes a lot of sense. Google has been trying to figure out a way to make money from YouTube ever since it bought the site for a cool $1.65 billion in 2006. And now, rather than focusing on ads, Google has hit on a method that fits the instant-gratification aura of the site. You hear about a great new band, go to YouTube, and view their latest music video. Like what you see, and click to buy their CD, or eventually, tickets to their next concert. Google's been waiting a long time to make serious money from YouTube. Maybe this time, it's hit on the right winning formula.

• E-commerce
• Amazon
• Apple
• click to buy
• e-commerce
• Google
• iTunes
• movie
• music
• song
• video
• YouTube