YouTube, a leading site for watching video on the web, won new funding yesterday, as a research firm predicted demand for internet video services was about to explode.

YouTube, which has grown popular by hosting video clips uploaded by its users, said it had received $8m in second-round funding from Sequoia Capital, a venture capital group that backed Yahoo and Google. "This is the birth of a new clip culture where the audience is in control more than ever," said Chad Hurley, chief executive.