First, Google (GOOG +3.57%) introduced ad-supported premium programming via YouTube. Then, it set out to build a national fiber network. Now, there's a pay TV service with niche channels developed by partners. Fees start as low as $0.99 a month.
This isn't a Netflix (NFLX +2.90%) alternative so much as a substitute for network and cable television, says Tim Beyers of Motley Fool Rule Breakers and Motley Fool Supernova in the following video. YouTube has approved just 54 channels thus far.
But this is also just the beginning, Tim says. With Netflix users watching more than 4 billion hours of programming online in the first quarter -- double that of Q4 2011 -- viewers are demonstrating an increasing comfort with circumventing traditional TV outlets. Every would-be disruptor of the medium stands to profit from the shift, but Apple (AAPL 0.17%), Google, and Netflix especially do.
Do you agree? Watch the video below to get Tim's full take, and then let us know how much time you spend with online programming versus traditional TV.
