Have you noticed YouTube’s slick new look? Google has revamped its video sharing service, moving YouTube further away from its homespun origins. In fact, Google made statements last month that it planned to include more content from professional sources, while organizing videos into clearly defined channels so users can better browse the content they’re looking for.

The updated interface is reminiscent of what you might receive with a standard cable TV box, displaying different channel categories and other options to choose from.  Whether it’s music, comedy, gaming, sports, news or more, you can select from a large number of channels catered to different interests.  You can even create a channel tailored to your tastes.  Rather than stopping by for a couple minutes, Google wants users clicking on other entertaining videos. The goal is to keep viewers interested, engaged and spending more time with YouTube and its sidebar advertisers.

The new YouTube is esthetically superior with scrolling, updating content providing constant stimulation. There’s a news feed reminiscent of other social media platforms showing status changes and activities of other users. Viewers can also connect their Facebook and Google+ accounts to YouTube in order to share what they’re watching and recommend videos to friends.

Watch the Video Presentation of the New Youtube Interface:

Uploaders will benefit from new channel templates designed for different needs. For example, some uploaders only have three or four videos whereas others have thousands of videos that need to be presented so their fans can easily search and access them. Uploaders will also enjoy innovative features to keep viewers entertained – even if they haven’t added new video content in a while.

Google wants YouTube uploaders to start thinking like TV channels, which provide specific content for a specific audience. To encourage that, Google plans to organize new content from the moment its uploaded into specific categories. This will improve searchability, while more efficiently pairing viewers with the kind of content they’re looking for.

In that regard, recent upgrades will likely improve YouTube’s ad-revenue generation by enabling Google to tailor advertising to specific tastes. The more time one user spends viewing specific channel categories, the easier it will be to target advertising directly to that particular user.

So, is the new YouTube as good as Cable TV and what’s in store for 2012?  Well, you probably can’t find the most recent episode of your favorite TV shows streaming on YouTube at this point, but it does appear Google is laying the groundwork for something that could one day corner the TV market. Indeed, perhaps you’ll soon be skipping from Jersey Shore to the latest double rainbow viral video with a single a click of a button!