YouTube Adds 3,000 Movie Rentals

Four major studios have joined with the online video broadcaster to rent movies online for an average of $2.99 a film.

YouTube has partnered with Hollywood to make more than 3,000 feature films available to rent and stream online. Of course, like Hulu, cable television, and radio, it's first available in the U.S. only, but the partnership does highlight a rapidly growing field of online film services, such as Netflix and the forthcoming Ultraviolet. The cost to rent each movie will range from $0.99 to $3.99, with most being $2.99. The selection promises to include everything from mainstream Hollywood fare to foreign films and the best of the festival circuit. Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., Universal, and Lion's Gate Entertainment have all signed on to the project, which went live this week.