Margins Check: YouTube.com’s APIs, DoubleClick’s ads, and more

Editor’s Note: Welcome to On the Margins, a feature for RCR Wireless News’ weekly e-mail service, Mobile Content and Culture. Every week, the RCR Wireless News staff considers events in the wider business world and how they could affect the wireless industry.
–Google’s YouTube.com announced it will provide additional services to developers, which will allow code-writers to use more of the features and functions of the video-sharing site. For instance, Web sites will be able to display YouTube.com videos without including YouTube.com’s branding. The move is Google’s attempt to further solidify YouTube.com’s dominant position in the video-sharing market, and as well as further ingratiate the service with users. It’s unclear how YouTube.com’s efforts will eventually translate into mobile, but industry watchers should be aware of the site’s growing Internet power.
–In other Google news, the search engine giant formally closed its acquisition of advertising giant DoubleClick. The mega-merger makes Google a major player in the Internet ad space, and since many Internet businesses rely on advertising revenue, Google’s position online is now that much more powerful. Whether and how Google plans to push its DoubleClick acquisition into the wireless industry remains to be seen.
–JPMorgan Chase & Co. announced plans to acquire banking giant Bear Stearns for the bargain-basement price of $236.2 million, a deal which signals another major aftershock from the sub-prime mortgage mess. Aside from the BlackBerry users Bear Stearns undoubtedly has, it’s unclear how exactly the merger could affect the wireless industry, but those companies involved in mobile banking and commerce activities would do well to take note.