The deal has been done – Google has picked up YouTube for $1.65m – full information courtesy of CBS.
The guys behind YouTube have posted a short video message about the acquisition – and look as happy as someone who just sold their business for $1.65 should do!
A mixed blogosphere reaction so far. I did spot a good analysis piece on Digital World. Some feel only time will tell whether the deal is a good thing. Mark Cuban is convinced that the copyright issues that Google are acquiring will cause them some problems.
My initial take on this is that the deal is part of the natural grouping of social media services – at the moment most services deal with content types separately, but the next phase of social media development will be closer integration between content types, and the yet wider networking opportunities that will bring. This deal will help facilitate such groupings.
One thing is for sure, this is just another piece of evidence that backs up Simon’s view that 2006 is the year social media came of age.