While YouTube's troubles with major content companies may be getting a lot of press, the company is busy signing deals with hundreds of others to populate its Web site with streaming video content.
Among those, the "New York Times" reported, is a new agreement with the BBC. Under a multiyear deal, the BBC will create two entertainment channels and one news channel on the Google-owned YouTube. Two of the channels will include ads placed by Google's advertising system AdSense.
Most of the action at YouTube, however, is with smaller companies that see the Web site's value in attracting viewers. Only some of those deals have been announced to the public, the "Times" reported.
Last week the National Basketball Association agreed to create a channel where the league would show authorized clips and where fans could upload short videos. Also, last week, Wind-up Records made a deal with YouTube to stream music videos and allow users to incorporate music tracks into their own videos.
YouTube has finalized more than 1000 partnerships with content owners ranging from the Sundance Channel to small independent video producers, the "Times" said. On top of that, the company is adding more than 200 new media partners each quarter.
Though financial details of the deals are generally confidential, the newspaper said most involve splitting advertising revenue between the content owner and YouTube.
In the two weeks after YouTube complied with Viacom's demand that it take down more than 100,000 clips, YouTube's viewership increased by 14 percent, according to Hitwise, an Internet research firm.
