The revolution will not be televised but who cares? It's already online, as a new wave of young 'YouTubers' threaten traditional TV with their sharp video blogs and direct interaction with their millions of mostly teenage fans
Of course, where there's an audience and money, it is unlikely to remain a "secret" for long. In 2012 Google spent $300m on launching its Original Channels initiative, as it aims to get traditional broadcasters (such as BBC and ITN) as well as celebrities (Jamie Oliver, Madonna) creating videos exclusively for YouTube. Meanwhile, in January 2012, Elisabeth Murdoch's production company, Shine, bought ChannelFlip, a media agency that represents some popular YouTubers, and is expanding rapidly. Music mogul Simon Cowell has taken note, too: last month he launched a new talent trawl called The You Generation on YouTube. There are new competitions every fortnight – you enter by video audition – and the winner of the first one, for presenters, was announced on Friday.
