News Corp., NBC to Launch Video Site

Mar 22, 12:01 PM

Current Headlines: News Corp. and NBC Universal said in New York Thursday they would launch an online video site that is a game changer for Internet video.

The free site, expected to launch this summer, will offer thousands of hours of full-length programming, films and clips from at least a dozen TV networks and two major film studios.

Programs include the U.S. TV shows Heroes, The Simpsons, 24, My Name Is Earl, and Saturday Night Live.

The unnamed site will also feature movies such as Borat, Little Miss Sunshine and Devil Wears Prada, the companies said.

Distribution partners include Yahoo Inc., Microsoft Corp.'s MSN network and Time Warner Inc.'s AOL unit, as well as News Corp.'s MySpace site. Advertisers include Cadbury Schweppes PLC, Cisco Systems Inc., Intel Corp. and General Motors Corp.

This is a game changer for Internet video, News Corporation President and Operating Chief Peter Chernin said in a statement. We'll have access to just about the entire U.S. Internet audience at launch.

The partnership is a major challenge to Google Inc.'s YouTube, which many media companies accuse of benefiting from illegal use of their copyrighted material.