Verizon announced a deal with YouTube to access select videos over your phone, for a $15 monthly fee. This “walled garden” approach has many up in arms, and screaming that this is taking a step backwards for leveraging social media and in a fair business model for creators and distributors. From Fred Wilson:
“This deal violates the entire ethos of YouTube, not free, not open, exclusive, no community, limited, censorship, etc, etc.”
Om Malik asks a question that I think you will hear more and more in 2007:
“YouTube is likely profiting from this deal, but are they sharing the goodies with folks whose videos will end up on Verizon handsets?”