November 20, 2009 by Matt Thomas
YouTube’s landmark TV deal with channel 4 has started bearing fruit. The channel signed a three year deal to provide full length shows on YouTube earlier this year and the new section of YouTube, entitled ‘shows’ is set to go live today. The section will include nearly 5’000 videos, 4’000 of which will be full-length programmes.
This move has seen an escalation of the battle between the online TV providers, specifically 4OD and BBC iPlayer. Up until now, the competition has been weighted by far in the iPlayer’s favour, owing mainly to the fact that the iPlayer system is seen as a much more user-friendly platform.
However, the new YouTube based 4OD system looks like it might just be able to compete. The interface is comparable to iPlayers and the selection is considerably better, especially considering the fact that it’s not only channel 4 programmes that are being shown – you can also get offerings from ITV, HBO, et al.
Looks like the online catch-up battle is about to get interesting…
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