Curtain Falls On Google Video

Google Video had a short life. A year and a half after Google bought
the service in an attempt to compete with YouTube; the firm is closing
the book on it.

Forrester Research analyst Charlene Li was quoted in the L.A. Times to
say, "Google Video was a failure. They focused on video while YouTube
focused on the community around video."

Not often does Google not succeed, but in this case the company has
proven that even it can suffer a pitfall. Google had partnered with
CBS and the NBA for this effort hoping to produce a successful
ad-supported platform for video producers.

YouTube trumped the site with their free, user-generated content,
which was ultimately Google Video's downfall. Former CBS president
Larry Kramer was also quoted in the L.A. Times saying, "It was just
clear the audience was more interested in free. But they were also
willing to watch ads. Nobody knew that was going to be the case."

The final bow for the site will take place on Wednesday, August 15th.