YouTube Ordered to Give All User Histories to Viacom

You TubeYouTube which is owned by Google has to turn over every record of every video watched by YouTube users to ViaCom,a judge ruled. Google was sued by ViaCom in March 2007, for allowing users to upload clips of Viacom’s copyright material. Viacom is a media conglomerate with various worldwide interests in cable/satellite television networks (MTV Networks and BET), video gaming (Sega of America), and movie production and distribution.

YouTube Opens Ad Sales

You Tube YouTube, popular online video sharing site introduced overlay advertising into its video clips. The ad rates charged to advertisers were calculated  on a CPM cost-per-thousand basis. Certain content producers are also free to sell ads on their YouTube channel at market rates.  This way producers of content which reach a more desirable audience can charge more.

One-third of online Videos Viewed on YouTube

You TubeAccording to market research firm comScore YouTube accounted for over three billion of the over nine billion videos viewed in January 2008. More than 139 million U.S. Internet users spent an average of 206 minutes per person viewing online video in January.

YouTube blocked in China over Tibet Videos

ChinaChina has blocked access to YouTube in order to stop the spread of video footage related to the riots going on in several cities in Tibet. The Chinese government has not commented on its move to prevent access to YouTube.

YouTube banned in Pakistan.

You TubePakistan has blocked access to the popular YouTube website because of content deemed offensive to Islam. Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad which outraged many is featured in Youtube. The website would remain blocked till further orders. Other countries that have temporarily blocked access to YouTube include Turkey and Thailand. Thailand lifted the band later after the video which insulting King had been removed from the site.