Amazon Pitches YouTube Networks

In a move that takes it into direct competition with Youtube, Amazon is pitching YouTube networks that produce short-form videos for the digital video leader. From the producers’ perspective, it would expand their viewership numbers, and it would open up a pay-per-video revenue stream. They would also receive branded pages on Amazon that would promote their videos, much like a show page on Hulu or a Channel on YouTube. The ultimate goal is to be able to market these videos to people searching for the products the videos are about; for instance, if I’m looking for a video game, a review video might pop up in my search results on Amazon. It’s a potent possibility, and if it pans out it could mean true competition with YouTube.