YouTube Plugs in HBO

Mon., Feb. 25, 2008 11:45 AM PST by Josh Grossberg

Now it's really not just TV.

HBO has inked a deal with YouTube to create a signature channel on the video-sharing site to air highlights from some of the premium cable net's most popular shows—Entourage, The Wire, Flight of the Conchords, Real Time with Bill Maher, Extras and Def Comedy Jam, among them.

Most notably, however, will be full-length episodes of HBO's newest hit, In Treatment, as well as Habla y Habla, the net's in-depth look at what it is like to be a Latino living in the U.S.

"We are delighted to bring HBO content to the YouTube community and fans of our shows,” said Joseph Giraldi, director of HBO's digital distribution and partnerships. He says the network is "always searching for new promotional platforms. We are thrilled to continue this tradition by offering the global YouTube audience access to our wide variety of content."

The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Also included in the deal will be segments from HBO's long-running Stand Up Comedy specials and Real Sports, and memorable clips from older series like Sex and the City—though so far absent from the list is The Sopranos, which now airs in syndication on A&E.

There will also be various promo lugging the latest, greatest from HBO Films and HBO Documentary Films, like the upcoming miniserie, John Adams, starring Paul Giamatti as the second U.S. President, and the documentary The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo, which was a Special Jury Prize winner at the Sundance Film Festival last month.

Jordan Hoffner, who oversees premium content partnerships for the Google-owned YouTube, says the deal will not only serve to hype HBO, but will give fans a legal way to link to such clips online.

"We are always looking to better serve the needs of our community, and we look forward to connecting existing fans with their favorite programming while introducing a new audience to quality HBO shows," he said.

Additionally, the cable channel and YouTube will hatch special YouTube-only features that will air exclusively on the video sharing site in the future.

This isn't HBO's first foray into Internet programming. HBO on Broadband, a free download service available via HBO.com, allows Netizens to stream hundreds of hours of movies, HBO original series (including The Sopranos) and other bonus exclusives on their PCs.

To watch HBO's YouTube programming, visit www.youtube.com/hbo.