YouTube to Secure Deal with BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is in the process of finalizing a deal with search engine powerhouse Google. The conditions of the agreement will make BBC programming available on the online video site YouTube.com. The deal will once again exemplify the site's growth in global popularity as it continues to add international content to its service.

A spokesperson for the BBC recently confirmed that the publicly funded broadcasting corporation had spoken with Google. The extent of the conversations have not yet been reported, but several sources have confirmed that many different options have been put forth by both parties and each is working extensively to establish a reciprocal arrangement. (Source: nytimes.com)

BBC World, the international commercial news channel produced by the British broadcaster, is already regarded as the most-watched foreign news network in many of the 200 countries that carry the broadcast.

BBC is expected to enter a similar agreement with Google that many of the major U.S. networks like NBC and CBS have done in the past.

It is estimated that Internet video advertising alone will earn approximately $1 billion in 2008, with the large majority of that revenue coming from television advertising budgets. The favorable outlook for the future of Internet advertising has forced television producers to choose whether they wish to cooperate with Internet video websites or compete against them. (Source: iht.com)

Under the banner of Google, YouTube.com has been continually approaching broadcasters and other owners of copyrighted material to arrange for the site to carry more authentic and certified material.

There are already a significant number of videos posted on YouTube.com that show footage taken directly from the BBC, but this material is uploaded from various individuals and the uploading party is usually guilty of several copyright infringements. (Source: iht.com)

The agreement will legitimize the abundance of BBC content that regularly appears on the website.