As the music business continues to question the value coming back to rights-holders from YouTube, the movie industry just made a historic pact with the Google-owned giant.

Paramount Pictures has launched a new channel on YouTube that allows users to watch hundreds of licensed movies, in full, for free.

As you might expect, there aren’t too many classics within the trove. Yet amongst the dross you’ll find some well-known names like King Solomon’s Mines, Elvis’s King Creole and Masters Of The Universe (pictured).

Why has Paramount – a subsidiary of MTV owner Viacom – taken this step?

No doubt to capture some advertising revenue from an assortment of films which would otherwise go unwatched.

The exact sort of films which previously found a new lease of life by filling up the catalogue of third-party platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

“Viewers are invited to explore the vast landscape of cinema’s history, share their favourite films and discover new ones.” Paramount

Now Paramount has taken the step of offering them on its own channel, and splitting the ad revenue with YouTube.

This is also very likely to be a precursor to whatever Paramount has up its sleeve when YouTube launches a subscription tier for partners, due later this year.

And as an added bonus, it’s potentially something of a legal alternative to those who would usually watch movies on the likes of Popcorn Time.

Within the Paramount Vault, you’ll also find clips from much-loved movie classics such as Airplane, Clueless and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, giving fans tasters of films they might then want to rent or buy online.

Paramount’s official statement on the Vault’s About Us page reads:

“The Paramount Vault showcases a collection of Paramount full-length films and clips including selections that range from black-and-white to color, comedy to horror, and everything in between.

“Viewers are invited to explore the vast landscape of cinema’s history, share their favorite films, and discover new ones through this official channel created by Paramount Pictures.”

Check out the Vault through here and watch the ‘sizzle’ video below.

Music Business Worldwide