LONDON, March 2 (UPI) -- The British Broadcasting Corp., better known as the BBC, says it has reached a content deal with YouTube, the popular video-sharing Web site owned by Google.
Three YouTube channels -- one news and two entertainment -- will feature short clips of BBC content, the broadcaster said Friday.
BBC officials said they hope the deal will help the broadcaster reach YouTube's monthly audience of more than 70 million users, driving extra traffic to its own Web site.
The corporation also will receive a share of advertising revenue generated by traffic to the YouTube channels.
Mark Thompson, BBC's director general, called the deal a "ground-breaking partnership" that would "engage new audiences in the U.K. and abroad."
Some British media outlets said the BBC's deal with YouTube strays from its license-fee funded public service arena and moves too much into commercial Web ventures.
