Lame

From Matt Richtel’s story about YouTube’s deal with Verizon:

YouTube’s phone-based version
will require a $15-a-month subscription to a Verizon Wireless service
called VCast.

and

And instead of choosing what to watch from a vast library
of clips, VCast users will be limited to an unspecified number of
videos selected and approved by the companies.

and

Verizon
would have the exclusive rights to distribute YouTube videos on mobile
phones “for a limited period of time.”

and

YouTube said
its editors would select short videos from its library for the Verizon
Wireless service. Verizon Wireless said it would vet the videos to make
sure they met the company’s editorial and taste guidelines.

and

“We’ll select content that has the broadest appeal and the highest entertainment value,” Ms. Liang said.

This deal violates the entire ethos of YouTube, not free, not open, exclusive, no community, limited, censorship, etc, etc.

Why tarnish the YouTube brand with a deal like this? 

I know that you can’t put the entire YouTube service on a mobile phone (yet, flash lite enabled mobile browsers should fix that).

But this just is sooo lame.