YouTube has released application programming interfaces allowing its content to be embedded into other Web sites, desktop applications, video games and mobile devices.
This development has been engineered to expand YouTube's presence by making it easier for external programmers and partners to query its library.
The application programming interfaces (APIs) are designed to upload both videos and video responses, provide access to user and video metadata -- such as titles, descriptions and ratings -- and fetch localised standard feeds for most-viewed or top-rated videos across 18 international locations.
The new capabilities will also allow developers to customise the player user interface used to view the content and provide familiar video-playback controls, such as pause, play and stop.
In his official blog, YouTube's Jim Patterson wrote on Tuesday: "We now provide a complete set of [create, read, update and delete] capabilities for uploading, managing, searching and playing back user videos and metadata from the YouTube 'cloud', managed by us. We do the transcoding, hosting, streaming and thumbnailing and we provide open access to our global audience."
The release of the APIs comes at a time when YouTube is trying to elevate the perception of its site from a video portal to what it describes as "a video-services platform", available to any third-party website or other application.
According to ZDNet.com.au's sister site CNET News.com, the APIs come under a strict Terms of Service (TOS) agreement.
The number one video-sharing site says "the intent of the API is for noncommercial use". Specifically, the TOS prohibits using the application programming interface for the "primary purpose of deriving revenues...such as advertising or subscription" services.
The agreement goes on to say that it is permissible to use the API to show YouTube content on an ad-enabled blog or Web site, but under the proviso that it is "comprised solely or substantially of YouTube video content".
Under the "Commercial Use" section of the TOS is this item: "The sale of advertising, sponsorships, or promotions targeted to, within, or on the API Client or YouTube video content" is prohibited without YouTube's permission.
A YouTube representative declined to comment.
By agreeing to the TOS, users will not be allowed to insert advertising into the video or the player, and the player itself will come with a Youtube logo overlay. This, too, should also come as no surprise, said Roman Arzhintar, CEO of SideReel, a video search and community site.
"My guess is that YouTube is going to try and offer ads through that player itself," Arzhintar said, "by including code inside of it that will pull ads from Google."
