CES is all about connected devices designed for watching and sharing content.
So this morning YouTube's VP of Global Content Robert Kyncl, took the stage to talk about the revolution in "channels" that transforms the medium in the same way--or more so-- than the advent of hundreds of cable channels changed TV.
The future of TV is niche, and will come through broadband pipes, not the airwaves, according to Kyncl. He's overseeing Google's launch of 100 new content channels, which can serve a huge audience interested in focused content. He projects that by 2012, 75 percent of all channels will be over the Internet, and "channels" will be far less reliant on traditional Hollywood: the new platform is democratizing a previously closed system. He gave the example of Michelle Pham, who started sharing video on YouTube. Now she's reached twice the audience of the Style network and has snagged a Lancome sponsorship.