San Francisco – Google is planning a 100-million-dollar overhaul of video website YouTube that will include some 20 premium channels with original programming, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The Google plan is to convert the popular website from a repository of self-produced videos into a bastion of top-quality content that will be a natural destination amid the rise of internet- enabled televisions, the report said.
News of the transformation came just two days after Google co- founder Larry Page took over as chief amid expectations that he would embark on new strategies to expand Google’s reach and return the massive company to the vibrancy of its start-up years.
It also coincides with other initiatives that blur the line between television and internet, such as the deal announced last month in which online video service Netflix paid 100 million dollars for two seasons of an original drama series by Kevin Spacey.
According to the report, the new premium channels will be phased in before the end of the year with at least five to 10 hours of professionally produced programming each week.
