MTV2 Gives Boost to YouTube
While CBS and NBC may have shown a deep disdain for what it sees as lax enforcement of copyright laws, YouTube this week signed its first agreement with a major network to obtain copyrighted content. MTV2 will provide the site with clips from two series and DVD releases coming this month.
Clips would be added from two shows, "The Andy Milonakis Show" and "Wonder Showzen." MTV2's clips would also receive premium placement on the featured videos section of the main page, along with the network's logo and the words "Official Partner."
MTV2 has also used its parent company's viral video site, iFilm, to promote programming as well.
YouTube's partnership may be the first steps by the company to prevent an eventual legal battle with television networks that looks all but certain. While the stated purpose of the site is to give a space to promote user-generated content, recently more and more copyrighted material has begun to appear on its pages.
Some changes were made to the upload process, such as contributors having to agree to a statement that they in fact own the content they are about to upload. Additionally, a feature in the process now allows for the co-branding of copyrighted material.
YouTube currently serves more than 3 million videos, adding 8,000 video uploads and transferring 16 terabytes of data daily.