A YouTube video by an enterprising 14-year-old showcasing the talents of his laid-off dad, a Florida-based marketing specialist, has scored thousands of hits and several job interviews. People fed up with paying for cable the traditional way will soon be able to subscribe to it from YouTube.
The Google-owned site known for cat videos and do-it-yourself makeup tutorials is the latest company to offer a version of cable that looks and feels more like Netflix. Dish, Sony and AT&T already have internet cable alternatives, and Hulu has one coming soon.
None of these have been huge hits yet. YouTube is hoping its expertise in recommendations and search makes it stand out.
Its version will cost $35 a month for about 40 networks, similar to rivals. But it's initially limited to a few cities where it has deals with broadcasters. And so far, Google doesn't appear to have deals for popular channels such as HBO, AMC and TBS.
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