Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Cutting The Cable TV Cord Watching TV Series, Documentaries and Movies on YouTube

What is Google's YouTube up to?

Is Google on track to turn YouTube into the Google version of Netflix?

Why do I ask these questions?

Well. Back when I first was a YouTuber, uploading YouTube videos, one was restricted to a maximum running time of 10 minutes.

Soon after I cut my connection to my Cable TV provider, AT & T U-verse, I discovered that YouTube had drastically changed.

YouTube now has full length movies available for free viewing. I've long wanted to watch the controversial Leni Riefenstahl documentary, Triumph of the Will. I watched it on YouTube.

On my smart phone.

I've long wanted to watch Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator. YouTube had that movie available for free viewing.

When James Garner died I wondered if YouTube had any Rockford Files episodes online. Near as I can tell the entire series is available for YouTube viewing.

I don't know where one can find a comprehensive listing of what's available on YouTube. I found The Rockford Files via the YouTube search tool. After I watched a few Rockford episodes YouTube started recommending other series, like the original Hawaii 5-0, Quincy, Gunsmoke, Beverly Hillbillies, Mary Tyler Moore, All in the Family, The Carol Burnett Show, I Love Lucy, Perry Mason and others I am not remembering right now.

Sometimes when you search for a specific recent movie YouTube will offer to show it to you for a price, like $1.99 to view it. Is this the direction YouTube is heading? Will all this new content eventually no longer be free to view?

I have no idea. All I know is what Google and YouTube are doing right now sure made it painless to cut the Cable TV cord....