It sounds like the plot of a really bad James Bond movie. But, in real life, such a development may actually be a welcome one for digital media and Internet junkies who consume more YouTube content than traditional broadcast television programming.
According to a new report published this week, YouTube’s apparent goal is to take over all outlets through which we consume content: mobile devices, desktop computers, and now good old fashioned television sets.
To achieve this objective (pay attention, Mr. Bond), YouTube “has been refining its video player for connected TVs, with more of a focus on continuous playback of channels that users have subscribed to.”
According to Ryan Lawler of Tech Crunch, YouTube is looking to provide ways for viewers “to navigate through its video library on their mobile devices, and then allowing them to beam the videos that they want to watch to the TV.”
It does this through mobile device pairing, which it introduced on Google TV devices and the PlayStation 3 and Xbox game consoles earlier this year. But pairing is coming to a lot more devices soon. At CES, YouTube will be showing off mobile pairing with a number of new devices from manufacturers such as Bang & Olufsen, LG, Panasonic, and Sony.
Based on what we’re told, YouTube similarly expects to deliver the feature to a wide assortment of other devices in 2013, including those made by the likes of industry heavyweights Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Toshiba, Vizio, and Western Digital.
Should this actually happen, millions of people all over the world will gain instant access to YouTube videos and channels from the mobile app on their TV.
Got that, 007?
So what do you think of YouTube’s purported plans for significant market penetration in the new year and beyond? Please weigh in with a thought or comment below.
