Searching for
its raison d'etre

Google Video and YouTube will remain largely independent of each other and will be positioned to "play to their respective strengths," according to a statement by Google, reports AdAge.

For YouTube, that means remaining the destination for uploading, viewing and sharing videos; for Google Video, that means shifting the focus to a search model and creating new video technologies such as those dealing with monetization and distribution.

As a first step, Google has begun showing YouTube video results for searches conducted on Google Video, writes AdWeek. The company said Google Video would eventually provide links to video on several sites, acting as a video search engine.

When Google Video was launched in April 2005, it followed YouTube's community model  and struck deals with content partners such as CBS and the NBA. Google acquired YouTube late in 2006.

YouTube drew 38 million visitors in January vs. Google Video's 20.4 million, according to Nielsen/NetRatings. Furthermore, YouTube has a more engaged audience, with visitors spending on average 38 minutes there as opposed to just 7 minutes on Google Video.