Until now, YouTube had restrictions for watching full-length movies, like either by purchasing it or by renting it. Recently, YouTube began to feature free films for the audience, supported by ads. That is, the films will come with some pop-up ads that will appear at regular intervals of the film. The company wanted to create an opportunity for the consumers and advertisers, which might be a way for advertisers for sponsoring the films.
Rohit Dhawan, YouTube’s product managing director told, at the moment the selection of films is limited to 100 but it will expand eventually. Some of the movies from the list of 100 movies are The Terminator, The zoo keeper, Saved, The Rocky series, Hakers, etc.
On the other hand, the Roku Channel will be available on the web which was previously available only to those with Roku TV or box.
According to the AdAge, YouTube’s influence in this field makes sense as people have started using more smart TVs and this ad-supported free films would draw more audience extensively.
Source 1: www.theverge.com
Source 2: mashable.com
