This seems like a defensive no brainer for youtube though. The classic cable business model is to get subscribers by financing top content that brings in viewer

This seems like a defensive no brainer for youtube though. The classic cable business model is to get subscribers by financing top content that brings in viewers. If Disney opened a 'Mickey Tube' tomorrow with exlusive access to all the late show clips, several well-financed existing youtubers then how much of youtubes viewers would pack up and move over? So really this looks like Youtube maturing into a more traditional media business model. Of course they still have the risk that they suffer from the myspace phenomenom. Not sure they're really preparing or considering that.