Word: rental
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...that iTunes and Netflix are taking over that tradtion, stores like Quick-Flix—currently the only movie rental store in Harvard Square—are being forced to close shop...
...past decade, Steitz has led the push to snare more funding for the obscure sport, which mixes ski jumping and cross-country skiing. But he recalls the days in which Nordic combined athletes trekked through Europe like broke college students, sleeping in elementary school gyms, piling into tiny rental cars like circus clowns, begging other countries to drive their skis to events (there just wasn't room in the backseats). "We had to get creative," says Steitz. "There were times we moved from town to town pretty quickly. I probably still owe some people money...
...what's in it for Google? Faster Internet connections could increase consumer appetite for Google offerings like YouTube, particularly as the company has made a cautious foray into the movie-rental business. Services like Google Voice stand to benefit as well, as better speeds could let Google expand the product into a full-fledged VoIP telephone service. But ultimately this might be best read as a bid toward the future. "We want to see what developers and users can do with ultra-high speeds, whether it's creating new bandwidth-intensive 'killer apps' and services, or other uses...
...Still, YouTube isn't completely outmaneuvered. The site has massive traffic and will benefit from (essentially) free advertising across Google's network: the search giant can run ads for the new rental platform on YouTube, in Google search results and in its suite of popular services like Gmail and Google Maps. Google also has an established payment platform in Google Checkout, which will make paying for the rentals relatively easy...
...what may set the service apart is independent films. Alongside the rental program, YouTube is launching a program called "Filmmakers Wanted" that provides a platform for independent filmmakers to handle their own marketing and distribution via YouTube without relying on studios. According to the blog post that announced the plan, "They can decide the price of their videos and the rental duration; they can decide when and where their content is available; and they can keep 100% of their rights...