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Tech Report: Google's YouTube Makeover Will Include New Channels

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— Google's make-over of YouTube plans to bring more high-quality "made for the Web" content to the video-sharing site.

"They're going to look a lot like TV and movies, for that matter," said KCBS Technology Analyst Larry Magid.

The content will be produced by "stars, independent producers and even some studios," according to Magid.

KCBS Tech Report:

The new channels will give video makers an opportunity to bypass the traditional studios and sell their wares directly to YouTube, he added.

Magid sees the move as a challenge to broadcast and cable networks as people no longer need antennas or cable to access YouTube or other programming and content.

"Increasingly people have access to YouTube and other internet video on their regular television sets," Magid said.

For instance Magid watches not only films, but also enjoys TV shows from his Netflix account.

"Google which owns YouTube wants to get in on that," he said adding that they have studios near Los Angeles where they're working with producers to create original content.

Magid said there will be a whole new generation of content carriers, including Hulu that will distribute "high-quality" video via the internet and that it won't be just a few minutes long as we've become accustomed to in the past.

"It could be a half hour or an hour-long program."

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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