Google has been planning a way to monetize YouTube for a while, it seems like that next step is going to put that plan in motion soon � we might see premium channels on YouTube.

According to the sources, Google is planning to create about 20 premium channels that will have five to ten hours of original programming. It seems that Google is quite serious about this one, since it is planning to invest $100 million for this original content.

Although it appears that Google is quite determined in its intention, we still don't know when we'll see this improvement and how much will these premium channels cost, nor what kind of content will be available to viewer. We can't shake the feeling that Google is trying to compete with Netflix, but with 20 premium channels we doubt that YouTube will make much impact on Netflix's users.

YouTube might become a TV network someday, we're looking forward to see premium channels and content, but we doubt many YouTube users will pay for it � hence Google's struggle to make YouTube profitable looks to continue.

[via ZDNet]