MGM Studios kicked off the partnership by posting episodes of its "American Gladiators" and "Impac"t programs to YouTube on one channel.
The channels are available on Youtube at www.youtube.com/impact and www.youtube.com/americangladiators.
MGM?s "Impact" launched as a VOD offering in partnership with Comcast. It has quickly become one of the cable operator's most popular on-demand offerings, amassing more than 12 million views since launching in August. The "Impact" channel on YouTube is an extension of the brand dedicated exclusively to action programming to promote the MGM "Impact" channel. The YouTube "Impact" channel will feature a host of exciting clips from classic MGM action films such as "Rocky," "Ronin," "Legally Blonde," and "The Magnificent Seven" in addition to a sampling of exciting and popular action television shows and full length movies like "Lone Wolf McQuade" and "Bulletproof Monk" as well as a variety of clips from classic MGM action films similar to those shown on its Comcast counterpart.
"We're looking to mine the breadth and depth of the MGM library to build out and promote branded, multiplatform opportunities on demand, online and wherever viewers consume their entertainment," said Jim Packer, co-president, MGM Worldwide Television.
The new YouTube Channels will be refreshed with new videos every month and will be ad-supported. MGM also said that it planned to launch additional channels on YouTube in the future.
YouTube in October forged a similar partnership with CBS Corp to run full-length archived shows, including "Star Trek," "Young and the Restless" and "Beverly Hills 90210."
The new partnerships put YouTube in more direct competition with Hulu, the online video site owned by News Corp and General Electric's NBC Universal.
Hulu features up-to-date full-length shows from Fox networks, NBC and CBS. It also has a YouTube channel which features short-clip versions of its shows.