Walt Disney Company Signs YouTube Deal

Disney has agreed to provide short-form videos from its ABC and ESPN television properties to run on Google Inc.'s YouTube.

The parties involved have agreed to an ad-revenue sharing arrangement. Disney has not, yet, announced a deal with YouTube to share full episodes of such programs as "Lost" or "Desperate Housewives," . These shows are available in full on ABC.com and sites such as Comcast Corp.'s Fancast or Time Warner Inc.'s AOL. "This deal provides us with the opportunity to reach a broader online audience, to experiment with different monetization models and to extend the reach of our advertisers," said Anne Sweeney, president of the Disney/ABC Television Group, in a statement. Disney will sell ads and conduct other marketing efforts. Google and CBS Corporation have a similar deal which provides both short-form and full episodes. The ESPN channel will debut in mid-April, while the ABC channel, including videos from ABC Entertainment, ABC News, ABC Family and SOAPnet, will debut in May.