• ClickZ, Tuesday, March 31, 2009 1:30 PM

YouTube is planning a redesign that would separate premium and long-form programming from the user-posted videos which make up the bulk of activity on the online video sharing site in an attempt to draw more advertisers. Sources tell ClickZ that the new design will eliminate the current navigation scheme, with its "videos," "channels," and "community" categories.

These will be replaced with four tabs that clearly define sections for professional content: Movies, Music, Shows and Videos. The first three tabs showcase premium shows, clips and movies from Google's partners; all of these will be monetized with in-stream advertising. The last channel, of course, will house the amateur videos that major advertisers have shied away from. "They're putting up walls between all the UGC stuff, which will live within the video channel...and the brand safe content," said one of the sources, a senior agency exec.

According to the sources, the planned launch date of the YouTube overhaul is April 16. Another agency executive said that unlike some content providers, Google will not sell whole episodes to a single advertiser or brand, but rather multiple sponsors.

Read the whole story at ClickZ »