YouTube was in existence for 18 months before Google acquired it. And it was probably just as well the search giant did, because the burgeoning online video site was massively expensive to run, and there wasn’t any sign of profit being made any time soon.

Google Vs. Viacom

The Google vs. Viacom legal battle is rapidly approaching its crescendo, with both sides likely to meet in court and tell their own side of the story regarding the copyright infringements that formed a big part of the site’s early days.

As part of the recently-revealed legal documents, confidential profit and loss information was uncovered. Which NewTeeVee has used to build a picture of how YouTube was financed before Google took the site over in October 2006.

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Not content with measuring detailed analytics across the online video sector, TubeMogul has started to sell video advertising as well, launching its Play Time video ad platform. And it’s already seeing promising results from the endeavor.

TubeMogul

TubeMogul was the first dedicated online video analytics firm, enabling content creators to track the performance of their videos over a number of online video services.

But that clearly wasn’t enough for the company, which has now launched Play Time, its video advertising platform. And the firm is already seeing results from the year-long beta.

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How much do you know about video marketing? The chances are very little, unless it’s your business to know. Which is where EyeView comes in. And the company has created a quiz which both tests and educates on the subject.

EyeView

The Web offers a whole new platform for advertisers to sell their wares. But as with every other medium, there are ways of increasing the success of campaigns.

EyeView offers video solutions for advertisers, having spent the last three years working for and with big names such as Google, YouTube, Yahoo!, HP, and eBay.

EyeView wants to know how much you know about works and what doesn’t in the realm of video advertising, and has created a Video Marketing Quiz which everyone can take.

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The world is going mobile in a very big way. And as people start using smartphones and the new breed of tablet computers to browse the Web, so video sites have to adapt. And so, therefore, does the advertising on video sites.

YouTube Mobile

YouTube’s mobile site is a version of the online video leader built especially for mobile phone users. It isn’t the same as the specially-created YouTube interfaces on iPhone and Android, although users of these two platforms can visit the mobile site at m.youtube.com.

The YouTube mobile site is surprisingly popular, boasting “millions of people all over the world … streaming tens of millions of videos every day.” That isn’t even close to the main YouTube Web site, which now boasts over one billion videos viewed every day.

However, with growth quoted as “over 160% in 2009,” and that likely to rise even higher in 2010, Google is keen to wring every drop of revenue possible out of YouTube as it endeavors to make a profit from the site.

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Hulu UK has been delayed yet again, this time by disagreements over the kinds of advertising deals UK broadcasters could offer. And with the likes of Channel 4 and Five now offering their content on YouTube and SeeSaw, I’m beginning to wonder if Hulu will ever go international.

Hulu U.S.

In the U.S., Hulu is doing phenomenally well. It hit the one billion video views in a month milestone in December 2009, bringing a great year to an even better close. And 2010 is likely to see traffic increase even more.

This year will also see Hulu likely experiment with a paid subscription model alongside its free model. However, Hulu is currently limited to the States, with those of use who reside outside America blocked from watching content.

What Hulu needs to do is move abroad and go international.

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Online video viewers aren’t currently bombarded with lots of ads. Most sites include a few, but nowhere near as many as TV viewers have to contend with. However, this could soon change, and that’s not necessarily such a bad thing.

The Present

At the present time, online video viewers are lucky. And I say that as one of them. Most video sites are free, with advertising (both text and video-based) paying the bills and ensuring we get to watch good content without having to pay.

What’s more, the advertising is nowhere near as intrusive or as frequent as it is on traditional television. There’s probably four times as much advertising on TV as there is on the Web, on average.

However, according to AdAge, that could soon be set to change.

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SeeSaw, Arqiva’s attempt to create something similar to what the BBC had hoped to do, has now entered a private, invite-only beta. This will last roughly a month, with content deals being thrashed out before the launch proper.

Kangaroo – SeeSaw

SeeSaw has risen out of the ashes of Project Kangaroo, the joint project between BBC, ITV, and Channel 4 that would have seen all strands of British TV brought together in one Web video portal. That was until the Competition Commission killed Kangaroo off after BSkyB and Virgin Media pledged complaints.

The BBC and its partners have gone on to create Project Canvas, a much more ambitious effort that seeks to create a new standard and platform for IPTV in the U.K. Set-top boxes are even part of the plan.

Arqiva bought the Kangaroo infrastructure last July for an estimated £8 million ($14 million).

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