Content partners received the following in an email:

Long Form Content
You now will be able to upload and monetize videos in your account that are longer than 10 minutes. This feature is exclusively for partners. Independent Film makers that partner with us will now be able to upload their feature films on our site. Please note that for long form content, the maximum file size is 1GB.

The long term aim will be to monetize videos with ads running before, after and, in one format or another, during the replay of the video. This may well create a situation where Hollywood blockbusters are available for viewing free of charge so long as the viewer is prepared to watch the ads as well. I don’t there will be a lot of resistance when the word ‘free’ is used.

For advertisers, the opportunity to access virtual cinema at probably a fraction of the cost of cinema or tv advertising will be quite appealing. The concept of free viewing in exchange for included advertising is not new to media marketers and I am sure they will find way to capitalize on the concept fairly quickly.

It will be interesting to see how it pans out in the longer term. If Google can see an increase in revenue then it wont be long and the file size limitations will be changed to include quality high definition videos from the top studios. The revenue may well flow then.

Video’s in the ‘how to’ format may become popular and what better way is there to promote your brand and your expertise, all virtually at no cost. The only cost would be the production of the short videos. In this day and age many people are able to produce good quality videos using their home video camera.

YouTube’s post on the subject is quite interesting in itself.

We’ve heard many users say, “YouTube is the new TV!”. Well, the YouTube Syndication team is excited to now offer a number of options to actually consume YouTube on your television sets. We’re also proud to have helped many leaders in the consumer electronics space create YouTube experiences on TV.

The post goes on to list the various TV manufacturers who are providing the required setups to view the YouTube.

If you haven’t thought of using YouTube to promote your products or services, now might be a good time to get some footage shot and uploaded. You have nothing to lose and perhaps everything to gain.