MappingTheWeb //

Call it what you want to call it, Google is deep in talks to acquire the biggest Internet success story in previous years - YouTube.

Both TechCrunch and Mashable report that an acquisition announcement may come as earlier as today. The blogging community has been swirling with rumours over the past few days and it appears as though those rumours were accurate. This mega-deal would spark much discussion over the upcoming weeks and months. The Internet’s biggest powerhouse buys the net’s most successful/controversial new entrant in recent times? It would be very interesting to watch how Google would handle the copyright issues and whether or not they get sued right from the get-go. In addition, there are also the bandwidth concerns, but I think Google would have a much better, more cost-effective way of dealing with these.

I think this would be a great move for the YouTube founders. As for Google, if they can deal with the copyright issues in an appropriate manner, then I say go for it. Although I’m not a huge proponent of consolidation on the Internet, I believe that this deal is a good fit for both sides. Good luck to both Google and YouTube, and I look forward to seeing what comes of this deal - should it happen. 

I have a funny feeling that Chad Hurley reads my blog. After all, he would be taking my advice from a few weeks ago

Full coverage from the New York Times here.