"There was alreadycreativity inside Disney, butBobremovedthebarriersto it," says Peter Chernin, chiefoperatingofficerofNewsCorporation, a rival media group.
Time Warner, TheCherninGroup, Bertelsmann, Discovery Communications and Comcast have all invested in companies that create or aggregate YouTube content.
Bidders reportedly showing an interest in the Sunnyvale, California-based company include Silver Lake, Peter Chernin, Providence Equity Partners, DST Global and Alibaba Group.