ABC, ESPN videos to air on YouTube under new deal

The Walt Disney Co. said Monday it has agreed to provide short-form videos from its ABC and ESPN television properties to run on Google Inc.'s YouTube under an ad-revenue sharing arrangement.

However, the videos will not be available to Canadian viewers, Google told CBCNews.ca on Tuesday. When asked why the videos will be available only in the U.S., a YouTube spokesperson saidthat was achoicemade by ABC and ESPN.

Disney has yet to announce a deal with YouTube to share full episodes of such programs as Lost orDesperate Housewives, despite the shows being available in full to U.S. viewers 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 be able to sell ads against the videos in conjunction with its other marketing efforts.

Google has a similar video ad-sharing deal with broadcaster CBS Corp., which provides both short-form and full episodes.

Google remains locked in a legal battle with Viacom Inc., which is suing it for $1 billion for infringing on copyrights for such shows as Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

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.