In what many are remarking as something of a revolutionary move, YouTube has taken steps to make its videos available offline as well as online. This is a pretty big step for YouTube, as historically a live connection has always been required in order to watch anything on the video channel, which has often proven rather irritating for anyone located in an area where connections can be patchy. This may partly explain the decision to allow video to be available offline, something which the organisation said in a blog statement was motivated by the desire to ‘give people more opportunities to enjoy videos and channels on YouTube mobile.’
So, how does it work? Well the introduction of an ‘Add To Device’ option means that a YouTube user can save video clips onto phones and other mobile devices for 48 hours so that they can be watched wherever, whenever. The videos that can be saved will still be free and there will be an option for the video uploader not to allow this if they don’t want their content to be available in this way. Obviously, the new function will create a new advertising channel, as Google will run ads on the saved video clips, just as it would on the standard version.
The great advantage of this new system is that is means that YouTube users can watch videos in locations where they would not previously have been able to do it. So, for example, commuters can now watch their favourite clips underground on the Tube at the points between stations where there is no Wi-Fi and no signal. This could well open up YouTube to a whole new section of the market who may not have considered using it before – the company is nothing if not innovative and forward thinking when it comes to its business model and me personally I have a lot of respect for that kind of forethought. But for now, I’m off to watch my favourite virals and other video’s at the top of hills, and on the underground and on planes, need I go on?
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