BBC branches out with YouTube

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has signed a major deal with
Google to launch three branded channels on YouTube. It will feature clips from
the British public broadcaster's entertainment shows as well as
advertising-funded news from BBC's global outlets.

The non-exclusive partner­ship opens the way for BBC to extend its content
across other broadband portals and is the company's biggest commitment to any
portal outside its own http://www.bbc.co.uk
site. It will not cover any long form programming but will allow users to link
through to BBC's own web portal if they want to download BBC content.

Under the agreement, fans of BBC shows like 'Life on Mars,' 'Doctor Who' and
'Torchwood' will be able to watch clips and speciallycommissioned content
relating to BBC shows on two branded channels on YouTube, with search service
provided by Google.

Under a separate agreement with BBC Worldwide, archival clips of shows like
'Top Gear,' 'Spooks' and 'The Mighty Boosh' also will be available on an
advertising-funded basis, alongside an advertising-supported news clips service.

Users will be able to comment on clips, rate them, recommend them to friends
and post their own video responses to communicate with viewers and BBC. YouTube
will act as a shop window that will allow users to link to the BBC's own
interactive media player for on-demand content.

The move is part of a number of BBC initiatives aimed at allowing content to
be accessed by the maximum number of users across all digital platforms.