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The non-exclusive partnership will create branded BBC channels on YouTube, operating under separate BBC and BBC Worldwide agreements. The deal is part of a drive from the BBC to bring new audiences to its proposed iPlayer, and to secure commercial revenue via BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary that supplements its licence fee income.

'This ground-breaking partnership between the BBC and YouTube is fantastic news for our audiences,' said BBC Director-General Mark Thompson. 'The partnership provides both a creative outlet for a range of short-form content from BBC programme makers and the opportunity to learn about new forms of audience behaviour. It's essential that the BBC embraces

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new ways of reaching wider audiences with non-exclusive partnerships such as these.'

Google was equally upbeat. CEO and Chairman Eric Schmidt said the search giant was delighted to be joining forces with the BBC to bring the best in TV programming to the YouTube community. 'We will continue to invest in our platforms and technologies to help our partners make the most of the enormous opportunities presented by the billion people now online.'

Chad Hurley, who co-founded YouTube, and later sold it to Google in a shares-only deal, described the BBC as the premier source of quality programming, and said that he hoped the deal would 'open up an entirely new audience for [BBC] content, while deepening their relationship with existing viewers'.

The BBC News channel will not be available to UK audiences, as it is designed only for an international audience, as it is generated by BBC Worldwide. BBC Worldwide is also the only part of the Corporation that will benefit from Google and YouTube advertising platforms, generating revenues that will be ploughed back into programme creation.

The first two BBC channels are BBC and BBC Worldwide.