BBC joins forces with YouTube

he BBC said on Friday that it had started showing promotional trailers for new programs and clips from old hits on Google's YouTube video site in a bid to reach new audiences and boost sales at its commercial arm.

News clips will be added in the near future, when the output will have three strands, the broadcaster said.

From the BBC itself, there will be content based on current hits such as Life on Mars and Doctor Who, while from BBC Worldwide there will be clips from old favorites such as Spooks and Top Gear, which are sold globally.

About 30 news items a day will also be offered, though the advertising-funded news clips will not be available to users in Britain, who pay the license fee that funds the BBC.

The output will include specially created video diaries such as actor David Tennant taking viewers around the set of Doctor Who and reporter Clive Myrie on the streets of the red zone of Baghdad.

"It's essential that the BBC embraces new ways of reaching wider audiences with nonexclusive partnerships such as these," BBC director-general Mark Thompson said in a statement.

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