Univision to Offer Long- and Short-Form Programming on YouTube

Univision Interactive Media, the digital arm of US Spanish-language broadcaster, Univision Communications, said Monday that it has signed a deal with YouTube to offer short- and long-form video on the latter's site. "This is a very exciting milestone, as it represents the first time that any Univision programming is available on the Web outside our own properties in both a short- and long-form format," Kevin Conroy, president of Univision Interactive Media, said in a prepared statement. "This partnership uniquely extends our reach to our audience and solidifies our position as the leading Spanish-language video provider for US Hispanics with unparalleled programming in all respects." Added YouTube's head of content partnerships, Chris Maxcy: "This deal is a big win for us and marks one of the most comprehensive partnerships for full-length programming signed to date. There is a huge demand to watch Spanish-language content on YouTube. With this new partnership, our community here in the US can watch and enjoy both full-length and short-form programming from Univision's three major networks on our platform."

According to the companies, the YouTube-Univision partnership, which is non-exclusive and which calls for them to share revenues generated by advertising (note: Univision says the partnership will provide premier advertisers with "unique" sponsorship opportunities, including new inventory for display ads), will see TV programs from Univision's Univision, TeleFutura and Galavision networks featured and promoted throughout YouTube.com. Content will be updated to include relevant offerings, the companies say, and will also include an extensive archive of library programs. In addition to top Univision shows, YouTube users will have access to Univision.com videos across various content categories, as well as "unique" footage from Univision celebrity interviews and special events, such as next year's Lo Nuestro Latin Music Awards. The deal will also see Univision using YouTube's Content ID technology to track user engagement and monetize Univision content uploaded by YouTube users, the companies say.

In other YouTube news:

• The company is partnering with retailer, Target, on a new YouTube channel, called "Holiday Solutions," which it says will feature holiday season-themed videos--including videos on cooking, party planning and gift ideas--from various YouTube partners. According to YouTube, Food Network personality, Alton Brown, is currently taking questions through the new channel's comments section and will answer a handful of them in a special video series that will launch next week.
• As [itvt] was going to press, The Hollywood Reporter and the Associated Press were reporting that YouTube is set to announce a new citizen journalism tool called "YouTube Direct."