Walt Disney Co. and Google Inc’s YouTube said late Monday that they have reached a pact to offer sports highlights, clips of television shows and other short-form content on the hugely popular video-sharing site.
The deal will see videos from sports network ESPN from April and the Disney/ABC Television networks such as ABC Entertainment and SoapNet become available on YouTube from May. Disney Media Networks will have the option to sell its own advertising inventory within those channels.
While the deal does not entail full-length programming, analysts said it represents an important validation for YouTube as it seeks to present itself as an outlet for professionally-made, premium video content.
In other news, Disney Co. said it is relocating its Disney Wonder cruise ship to Los Angeles from Florida as part of the company’s fleet expansion.
The Disney Wonder will arrive in the Los Angeles port of San Pedro for an extended stay starting in 2011, Disney said. The Burbank company is working with the Port of Los Angeles on a two-year agreement with an option for three more years. The port commission will consider the contract at an April 2 meeting.
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