On November 3, we reported YouTube founder Chad Hurley telling an audience that by the end of 2007, YouTube can deliver user-generated short clips to mobile devices. Within days the news that the No 2 telecom company in US, Verizon and YouTube were working on a deal to bring YouTube’s content in mobiles came out.
Things seemed to be moving at a rapid pace since Chad Hurley’s announcement. The news out today is that a small number of YouTube content may soon be available to some Verizon wireless phones. The two companies plan to make an announcement today on the deal.
Verizon Wireless and YouTube said the service would be available very soon, as early as early December. Though the financial terms of the deal are not exactly clear, what is known is that Verizon would have the exclusive rights to distribute YouTube videos on mobile phones what it termed as - ‘a limited period of time’.
Kelly Liang, Director, YouTube said that that this ‘marquee partnership is first of many’ and added that it plans to introduce other such deals in 2007.
This is indeed much, much earlier than the 14-month time that Chad Hurley initially forecasted. However, it may well take that much time to get a full-featured YouTube content access in mobiles.
News: New York Times
