BBC to put videos on YouTube

via BuzzMachine

The embargo just came off a BBC announcement that they’re putting video on YouTube to reach more audience, worldwide. “YouTube is a key gateway through which to engage new audiences in the UK and abroad,” BBC Director-General Mark Thompson said in the release. “It’s essential that the BBC embraces new ways of reaching wider audiences with non-exclusive partnerships such as these.” Smart, those Brits.

The BBC will put up clips of new shows and promotional stuff about such stalwarts as Doctor Who. BBC Worldwide — which, as a for-profit division will take advertising — will show clips from Top Gear, Spooks, shows with David Attenborough, and more. And BBC Global News will provide 30 news clips a day, also ad-supported (and available only to us ferners). From the release: “Users will be able to comment on clips, rate them, recommend them to friends and post their own video responses to communicate with the BBC and other viewers.”

The BBC press release is here.

paidContent has a good round-up of what this non-exclusive deal means :

-- The main BBC entertainment channel will be a “public service” proposition, featuring no ads, but meant to drive people to BBC’s own websites.
-- BBC Worldwide: The second entertainment channel will feature self-contained clips - about three to six minutes long - mining popular programmes in the BBC’s archive. These will have pre-roll ads, and controversially these ads can be seen in the UK.
-- The news channel, which will be launched later this year, will show about 30 news clips per day. These will have ads, and for that reason, these clips can be seen outside the UK only.
BBC digital head Ashley Highfield said the BBC would not be hunting down all BBC-copyrighted clips already uploaded by YouTube members - although it would reserve the right to swap poor quality clips with the real thing, or to have content removed that infringed other people’s copyright, like sport, or that had been edited or altered in a way that would damage the BBC’s brand.

Next week will be interesting...