YouTube may be the top destination for videos of cats playing the piano, but could it be a threat to television? Google is betting it is. The company announced that YouTube, which Google owns, is partnering with Madonna, Ashton Kutcher, Amy Poehler, The Onion, Slate, and others to launch 100 new online "channels" with exclusive original programming — a deal reportedly worth $100 million. The first channel is expected to launch this month. Google is also updating Google TV to offer an easier way to access the new YouTube channels. Is this the first step toward making YouTube a replacement for cable TV?
Google may be on to something: "The traditional TV industry should consider itself warned," says Matt Rosoff at Business Insider. As more and more programming migrates online, TV is "changing from a world of a few hundred channels to millions of 'channels' available via the web." Google is smart to capitalize on that movement, and the Google TV link will put the YouTube programming on "equal footing" with cable shows.
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