YouTube poised to screen free full-length films
Last Updated: Saturday, November 8, 2008 | 2:58 PM ET
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The world's most popular video-sharing site, YouTube, is in talks to show full-length Hollywood films free over the internet.
"Our goal is to offer maximum choice for our users, partners and advertisers," the company said Friday.
The company, whose website is used by millions to watch short video clips, said it was in negotiations with major studios but refused to divulge which ones.
YouTube contributors can now run advertising over their videos or add links to music and DVDs sales from iTunes and Amazon.
Free films, run with advertising, would mark a major turning point for the video-sharing website. A report by CNET says the service could be up in 90 days.
A deal on movies would build on YouTube's recent agreement with CBS, which allows full TV series to be shown, with ads, in a return for a share of revenues.
It would compete directly with Hulu, a website backed by NBC and Fox, which features an array of old TV programs and films. As well, there's Amazon, which began streaming some films on movie database site, IMDb.com.
One thing is certain: neither Paramount nor DreamWorks is likely to be involved in the YouTube movie deal. The two companies have launched a billion-dollar lawsuit against the website for copyright infringement.
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