
CBS teams with YouTube for NCAA basketball
March 15, 2007, 9:52 PM PDT
CBS has reached a deal with YouTube to show highlights, press conferences and other content from the NCAA basketball tournament on the video-sharing site, the broadcaster said on Thursday.
Unlike much of the video on YouTube, however, the CBS basketball clips will be sponsored by advertising from General Motors' Pontiac. The advertising deal, terms of which were not released, is part of a broader CBS strategy to receive payment for its content and shows, something it has become increasingly vocal about in recent weeks.
The CBS agreement with Google's YouTube is also notable in light of the $1 billion lawsuit filed against the video-sharing site this week. The suit by Viacom accuses Google and YouTube of "massive intentional copyright infringement." Up until a year ago, CBS and Viacom were part of the same company.
CBS Interactive President Quincy Smith declined to comment on the Viacom lawsuit. Smith also declined to speak about CBS' discussions for a broader distribution and advertising deal with Google and YouTube. Recent press reports have said those discussions have stalled.