Alas youtube I knew you well

I am making a prediction right here, right now that Youtube will be vastly different in 2010 if it still exists. Google is burning over a million dollars a day on bandwidth. That does not included servers, persons to maintain them, etc.

Right now I am cutting my spending on adwords, as we all are. Times are tough.

How much longer can Google afford the burn rate of Youtube? I mean before with 320X240 videos it might manage to break even by putting adsense ads next to them. However, now with HD movies the bandwidth costs have exploded.

I see the day when Brin & Page will hem and haw about how they are extremely sorry, and they are going to have to make some cuts. Google will then give you the option of paying for hosting your videos or they will take them down.

This means all the videos of your cat wearing a funny hat - gone.

A few "infomercial" type movies will stay, but the bulk of the viewers will move on. I feel that the move to HD made this day almost certain. Stock holders want to see Google get rid of money losing divisions.

I am telling you this because, when Google shuts down Youtube, the other me-too companies will probably fold as well. I get a lot of traffic from video that I host for free on Youtube, but this joyride will end soon.