Paramount Pictures has launched an official, verified YouTube channel (The Paramount Vault) where you can watch a 100+ full length films for free (as long as you're in the U.S.). Now, you most likely won’t find Paramount’s best-known films, but a few cult classics like Masters of the Universe, Texas Chainsaw 2 and The Lovely Ones are there and ripe for the picking.
Paramount set the channel up over a year ago but just started adding movies about six months ago. Their mission statement says:
The Paramount Vault showcases a collection of Paramount full-length films and clips including selections that range from black-and-white to color, comedy to horror, and everything in between. Viewers are invited to explore the vast landscape of cinema’s history, share their favorite films, and discover new ones through this official channel created by Paramount Pictures.
Now usually these movies would end up on Netflix or nowhere at all, but thanks to Youtube they now have a home for the foreseeable future. In theory, this cuts out the middle-man and gives Paramount a direct line to stream their catalogue all the while Youtube foots the bill for the housing of the digital media. Then, to top it off, Paramount runs ad breaks to profit off the movie and only gives a portion of the revenue to Youtube ( Think Crackle without the hassle).
It's a win-win for everybody and lets titles that would normal sit idle bring in some revenue. Add to the fact that, again in theory, these movies could create revenue for Paramount indefinitely and behold! Here is the future of the movie industry. The only downside, Google increases its grip on the world.