YouTube to screen Channel 4 shows

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 16 Oct 2009 at 10:48

YouTube has signed a ground-breaking deal with Channel 4 to make full-length episodes of series such as Skins available shortly after broadcast.

The companies claim the deal has been under negotiation for the past six months and will see YouTube granted access to the entire 4oD back catalogue, consisting of around 3,000 hours' worth of shows including Brass Eye and Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.

New shows will appear on YouTube shortly after they're aired.

The companies will share ad revenues generated by the programming, with Channel 4 also winning the rights to sell ads around other YouTube content. Details of the ad-sharing deal were not disclosed, beyond a statement that it will be done "on an agreed formula".

Making our programmes directly accessible to YouTube's 20 million UK users will financially benefit both Channel 4 and our independent production partners

"Making our programmes directly accessible to YouTube's 20 million UK users will financially benefit both Channel 4 and our independent production partners and help bolster our investment in quality British content," claims Andy Duncan, the Channel 4 chief executive.

"It demonstrates our ability to strike dynamic commercial partnerships to help underpin our future as a commercially funded, not-for-profit multi-platform public service network."

The agreement will kick off in early 2010 and run for three years, but Channel 4 stressed that it's not exclusive to YouTube and it may yet look to do deals with other video-streaming services.

Channel 4 will continue to deliver shows from its own website.