BBC and YouTube in content deal

The BBC and YouTube have entered into a partnership to launch BBC content on YouTube, the video sharing website owned by Google.

Some of the content will be specially commissioned, and will include news clips and short-form promotional content for popular BBC programmes such as Doctor Who.

Content from a number of channels including BBC, BBC Worldwide and BBC World, will be shown on three new YouTube channels - one news channel and two entertainment channels. Some of the content will be partly funded by advertising.

The deal will allow the BBC to reach a wider audience and the company hopes that it will also drive extra traffic to its own website. YouTube has a monthly audience of over 70 million users. The BBC will share in the advertising revenue generated by traffic to the three new channels.

YouTube members will be able to rate the BBC videos and recommend them to others, as they already do with other YouTube content.

As well as watching and sharing video clips, YouTube members can also upload clips of their own. The site contains pirated film and music clips, which has led to the BBC being criticised for entering into the deal.

While the BBC will not actively search for BBC-copyrighted clips already uploaded by YouTube members it will reserve the right to replace poor quality clips with its won content, or to remove content that infringes other people’s copyright.