Google’s chief Schmidt: YouTube has displaced TV

Google's executive chairman Eric Schmidt has declared that YouTube, the internet search company's video-hosting website, has already displaced TV viewing as a medium.

"That's already happened," he said at a media event, in reply to a query as to whether the site could overtake its more traditional competitor.

Schmidt said YouTube was not a replacement for something that was known.

He said it was a new thing that had to be thought about to programme, to curate and build new platforms.

According to Schmidt, the really big viewing figures were yet to come - despite YouTube recent claims of an audience of 1 billion unique visitors per month.

"Wait until you get to six or seven billion," he said.

According to Robert Kyncl, YouTube's global head of content, "I thought that YouTube was like TV, but it isn't. I was wrong. TV is one-way. YouTube talks back. TV means reach. YouTube means engagement."

Meanwhile, members of US Congress would now have access to YouTube Live Stream on their YouTube channels.  However, commentators say though there were many people crying out to have access to this feature who could not get it, it was  being thrown onto the laps of Congress, who might not have much use for it. 

The live streaming feature, though is being made available following the success of the State of the Union and other political events like the debates.

A growing number of debates have been happening on Google+ Hangouts on various topics, and it had allowed people in other parts of the world to join in on the conversation. 

The ability of the Congress therefore to live stream was being viewed as a good way to reach people, as a way to practice "transparency" when it came to the job.