Google to TV networks: Believe in YouTube

Google has already made its mark at YouTube, a PR mark. One week after officially taking over the YouTube reigns, Google is doing what it does best, spinning tales of Googley-and now YouTube-goodenss. 

Google YouTube announced to the world: “After one month, CBS content among most viewed videos on YouTube, Nearly 30 Million Views Since Partnership Began”

What happened a month ago? Two things, just hours apart :

 

1) CBS and YouTube “strike strategic partnership,”
2) Google reported it is “to acquire” YouTube.

 

In announcing last month, first, its strategy with CBS, YouTube described the relationship as a “content and advertising partnership”: 

The deal calls for the CBS Television Network, its premium television service provider, Showtime Networks Inc., as well as its basic cable/digital media service, CSTV Networks, Inc., to offer the YouTube community a wide variety of short-form video programming from its news, sports and entertainment divisions on a daily basis beginning this month. YouTube and CBS will share revenue from advertising sponsorships of CBS Videos. 

Leslie Moonves, President and CEO of CBS Corporation, said, last month: 

This strategic partnership is a unique development in CBS’s continuing initiative to monetize our industry-leading content across new distribution platforms. We’re now able to offer select entertainment, news and sports programming to a new significant audience, get paid for it, and learn a few things along the way. 

Why is CBS doing a public celebration with YouTube now? Has YouTube enabled CBS to “monetize” its content so that CBS has gotten “paid for it"?

Not according to Quincy Smith, President, CBS Interactive: 

What’s most exciting here is the extent to which CBS is learning about its audience as never before. 

Smith may be excited about his month long “learning” experience with YouTube. The shareholders he works on behalf of, however, are undoubtedly hoping to be excited over getting “paid for it." 

The Google-YouTube-CBS public collaborative pat on the back does not include any such excitement via monetization. The free entertainment enjoyed by the YouTube “community,” thanks to CBS, is what is touted:

YouTube users are clearly being entertained by the CBS programming they’re watching as evidenced by the sheer number of video views. 

What does the “sheer number of video views” do for CBS? Google, YouTube and CBS ‘believe’ in the power of YouTuber love: 

Ratings for the network’s late night programs, in particular, have shown notable increases. CBS’s “Late Show with David Letterman” has added 200,000 (+5%) new viewers while “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” is up 100,000 viewers (+7%) since the YouTube postings started. Although the success of these shows on YouTube is not the sole cause of the rise in television ratings, both companies believe that YouTube has brought a significant new audience of viewers to each broadcast.