Digital Trends

NBC Universal and News Corporation will partner with Comcast when they take on YouTube and launch their online video service later this year.

NBC Universal and News Corporation have announced they have inked a comprehensive distribution agreement with cable operator Comcast and its forthcoming Fancast.com to serve as "key distribution sites" for the as-yet-unnamed NBC/News Corp online video site the company's announced last month. Comcast cubsidiary thePlatform will offer video distribution and media management technology for the offering; Comcast will also provide nonexclusive content for the NBC/News Corp venture for distribution within the United States, including the E!, Style, G4, Versus, and Golf Channel offerings.

"We're delighted that the nation's largest cable provider will be a major player in this new venture," said Peter Chernin, News Corporation's President and COO, in a release. "News Corp. and NBC have long histories with Comcast and we're committed to expanding our relationship in this new media universe. We believe there is a wealth of opportunities to exploit broadband distribution to benefit both our businesses."

NBC's and News Corp's still-unnamed offering is due to launch "this summer" (we presume they're referring to the northern hemisphere) and is slated to feature full-length movies and television shows, offering a challenge to Google's YouTube video sharing service, as well as to commercial offerings like Apple's iTunes store and Amazon Unbox. Yahoo, Microsoft, and AOL are already on board with NBC and News Corp in the joint venture. Distribution partners will be able to embed content in customized video players on their sites (including top traffic destinations like MySpace, Yahoo, and MSN), as well as offer users access to personalized playlists, online communities, video search, and an extensive library of full shows and clips. The service will be fueled by advertisements; the companies say the service's management team and corporate branding will be announced shortly.