Internet search leader Google Incorporated is in talks to buy the popular online video site YouTube for about $1.6 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing a person familiar with the matter. Google and YouTube are still at a sensitive stage in the talks, which could fail, the newspaper said on its website. Founded in early 2005 by three former employees of eBay s PayPal electronic-payment unit, YouTube is surging thanks to the increased availability of high-speed internet connections and the popularity of camera telephones and digital cameras capable of taking video. Most of YouTube s offerings are short amateur video clips, although professional filmmakers and television networks have posted materials. YouTube users watch more than 100 million videos daily, and the site s market share tops that of similar services offered by Google and other popular websites, according to research firms.
