Media Deal Monday: GOOG-YouTube Announce Content Deals While Watchers Wait For Big One

Amid another flurry of reports/rumors/spec that a Google acquisition of YouTube will announced as early as today, the two companies have announced separately new content distribution deals for music and video.
Google-WMG/Song BMG: Google will be able to able to distribute music videos, artist interviews, “behind-the-scenes” footage and other artist-related content from WMG and music videos from Sony BMG. Eventually, the similar deals call for the music content to be available through Adsense partner sites. Google also has promised to develop technology that will let users mash-up WMG content and upload to Google Video. The music video catalog will be ad supported with each company sharing revenues with Google. Releases: Sony, Warner
YouTube-Universal: In a deal similar to the one YouTube reached with Warner, Universal and YouTube now have a “strategic partnership” that includes access to UMG music videos, mash-up creation/uploads and copyright controls that will filter out unauthorized content. Release.
YouTube-Sony BMG: This deal is described as a content licensing agreement that covers music videos, mash-ups and revenue sharing. Sony BMG, too, is promised copyright protection. The content won’t be on YouTube (officially) until the technology is in place later this year. Release.
YouTube-CBS: The “strategic content and advertising partnership” announced today with CBS covers CBS, Showtime and CSTV in a deal far beyond the earlier NBC agreement in scope. CBS will provide short-form video programming daily effective this month and will share ad revenues with YouTube. The CSTV connection also takes YouTube into sports beyond kited shots of hockey hits and the like. CSTV will provide highlights, footage and encourage up-loads from students. CBS CEO Les Moonvies made an effort to be the first network on Google Video and he’s claiming the same dibs on YouTube. CBS is the first to test YouTube’s content identification architecture and reporting system” (more on this later). Release. (Update re CBS: Should stress that the CBS deal is purely promotional; no full shows, etc.)
What happens to any of these deals in the event of an acquisition most likely would depend on the fine print of the agreements — and possibly the way a purchase would be structured.
If an acquisition of YouTube is announced we’ll send out an alert.

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