YouTube adds paid online video downloads

YouTube has added a purchase-for-download feature to the online videos on its site. While some videos are available for free under a Creative Commons license, others will require a payment through Google Checkout. It could be a viable way for YouTube to monetize its vast online video library when it works out revenue share agreements with its partners.

Don't expect a large revenue stream, as most users of the site will stick to free streaming of the video. But if YouTube could set up a low-cost, easy-to-use system for users to download videos they just had to have for offline access, it might gain some traction. There was no indication of general pricing for the videos in YouTube's blog post about the update, and it appears this is an ad hoc effirt at the moment.

Videos are only in mp4 format currently, which is another barrier to wider adoption. Also, only a small percentage of online videos on YouTube are available for download to begin with. It will be interesting to see how many end up with this feature in the coming weeks. 

For more:
- see the YouTube blog post explaining the new feature here 

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