After asking users to stay tuned a few days earlier on Twitter, Directr has announced it is now the property of YouTube.
The two-year-old startup, based in Boston, developed its namesake app, Directr, to enable iOS users to capture and produce videos from Apple's mobile devices. While Directr has found a new home, the company said its business model will remain unchanged.
"For now, everything you love about Directr is staying the same and we'll continue to focus on helping businesses create great video quickly and easily," stated Directr. "[There's] one immediate bonus: Directr will soon be all free, all the time -- thanks, YouTube. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who's downloaded and used Directr -- we are grateful for your support."
Google also confirmed its YouTube arm pulled in Directr and stated the pair of video products have already been married. Directr now features YouTube integration.
Google hasn't revealed how much it spent to acquire Directr. It also has yet to reveal the direction in which it'd like to steer Directr, though the app could facilitate even more ad revenue by making it easier for small and midsize companies to produce ads for YouTube.
Directr offers a personal version of its app, with which users can storyboard and enhance videos until they're ready to pay the 99-cent fee to render and release the finished product. But Directr has largely been directed at business users.
The professional versions of Directr range between $250 and $500 for an annual subscription. Directr goes beyond providing video production tools by offering guidance in developing and realizing ideas.
"Once you've got the idea, we take you step by step and scene by scene," stated Directr. "We prompt you with questions, spur your imagination with examples and show you exactly how to make your video happen. It's like you have a real life director backing you up every step of the way. We even give you a handy-dandy printable cheat-sheet for each video."
The acquisition of the YouTube's latest enhancement comes after Google purchased Twitch, a video-streaming platform that enables viewers to watch users play video games. The acquisition of Twitch has taken some of the heat off YouTube, which has been losing out on the viewers the streaming service offered, but gamers have greeted the purchase with reserve.
Much like YouTube's audio-recognition software, Twitch said it will work with Audible Magic to detect and disable any copyrighted material it hears playing in its streams. But contrary to original conclusions made about the audio-recognition software, Twitch stated that it won't mute copyrighted material being played in the background of live streams.
