YouTube thinks Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert should testify on their behalf, and I agree. The causality here is much more clear than they were during the Napster controversy. When the music industry was in decline, it was easy (and superficially plausible) for the RIAA to suggest that file-sharing programs were the culprit. It was difficult--if perhaps correct--to make the case that the music industry would have been in worse shape if it wasn't for Napster. With Stewart and Colbert now soaringly popular, though, the the argument should be much easier to make, and might even be demonstrable empirically. Somebody out there should take the time to impose Daily Show ratings on to this Alexa image.
Are you looking for the argument that Colbert and Stewart are driving youtube.com pageviews or that youtube.com pageviews are driving Colbert and Stewart? I think its relatively safe to assume Youtube has gotten more out of stealing than Stewart and Colbert. What % of youtube.com pageviews are copyrighted clips? Without them does it make any sense for Google to buy the site?
Posted by: crack | August 16, 2007 at 09:25 AM
Brian -
You are a great American. I think that more than anything, this graph should represent how great you are. As time goes by, you only get greater. I would like you to join my administration as a cabinet member of greatness.
love,
Dubya
Posted by: President George Bush | August 17, 2007 at 12:29 AM