YouTube said to talk with Sony, Lions Gate for movie rentals

Google Inc.’s YouTube, the most- visited video Web site, is in discussions with Hollywood studios about starting an online movie rental service, according to two people with knowledge of the talks.

Sony Pictures Entertainment and Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. are talking with YouTube about offering new releases, said the people, who asked not to be named because the talks are private. “We hope to expand on both our great relationships with movie studios and on the selection and types of videos we offer our community,” Chris Dale, a YouTube spokesman, said in an interview today.