Sony to give it up to YouTube

Sony Corp.’s Sony Pictures Television unit said Monday it has agreed to provide five-minute versions of several of its most popular TV shows for viewing on Google Inc.’s YouTube video-sharing Web site.

The announcement was made during the annual International Computer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Sony Pictures Television said the short versions of programs such as “Married With Children” and “Newsradio,” known as “minisodes,” will help expand the brand for the shows to the online universe. Some 21 shows will be available at the Minisode Network.

After the Minisode Network, the Sony unit plans to launch other channels on YouTube, including some that will include original content.

Over the past year and a half, Hollywood studios have shown an increasing willingness to make TV programs and movies available over the Web. With a new sense of urgency, the industry is determined to stay connected with a public that now demands the ability to be entertained anytime, on a variety of platforms.

For YouTube, agreements like the Sony deal can help it develop a positive relationship with studios that have been upset over what they see as widespread copyright infringement on the site.

In late November, comScore Media Metrix reported that YouTube had the top share of streamed videos viewed online, at 28%. Users watched 2.5 billion videos at the site last September.