Irish rock band U2 will stream an upcoming concert in California through Google’s YouTube site.
The move comes as Google is looking for more ways to make the site profitable and encourage the introduction of full-length videos, instead of the typical shorter uploads.
The concert will be viewable in 16 countries, including the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia, in a first for the video sharing site.
“YouTube is thrilled to be able to provide our global audience with a live streaming performance from one of the world’s greatest bands,” Chris Maxcy, director of YouTube partner development, said in a blog post.
The site has been experimenting with live events over the past year, and is reportedly in talks with Hollywood studios to add full-length movies to the site within the coming months.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
