Google has struck a deal to allow Web site owners to put video clips from Viacom, including “SpongeBob SquarePants” and MTV’s “Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County,” on their pages, the New york Times reports. The clips will be accompanied by advertising, with Viacom, Google and the site owners dividing the ad revenue.

Viacom, one of the biggest creators of television programming, is giving a significant endorsement to Google’s ambitious plan to become a big player in video advertising.

The deal may also be a sign that Google is getting better at dealing with the producers of news and entertainment, which have sometimes claimed that Google uses their content without appropriate consent and cooperation.

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