A rise in the number of companies using YouTube's Content ID system has helped the video-sharing service triple the number of views it can monetise over the last 12 months.
The Telegraph reports that YouTube is now making money on one billion videos each week, thanks partly to broadcasters such as ITV becoming so-called content owners at the portal.
No information has been provided on how much each view is generating for the web firm, but the sole fact that such a revenue is being made has led analysts to suggest that the company could soon become profitable.
Since search engine Google acquired the service for £1 billion in 2006 - and indeed, since its inception one year before - it is yet to make a profit.
Content ID has played its part in reducing the legal actions taken against YouTube for copyright infringements because it has allowed content holders to regain control of unauthorised use of their material.
Dubbed a copyright fingerprinting system, the service is now being touted by Google as a way companies can make money from advertising, rather than a tool that prompts them to block content as a breach of copyright.
