CBS Scores Viewers With YouTube Alliance

The most popular videos on YouTube aren't skateboarders crashing into railings but clips of CBS programs--some featuring YouTube-like videos, such as two women wrestling on "NCIS." Another big hit--"Borat" star Sacha Baron Cohen's interview on David Letterman.

Does that mean the most-popular irreverent Internet video distribution service is getting all corporate? Some would say it's just getting more professional.

In just a couple of weeks, CBS notes, its YouTube deal--in which the network gets a branded channel to display programming and news clips--is already reaping benefits: CBS shows are among the most-watched videos on YouTube, with many getting around 1 million or so streams or "views."

This isn't surprising, says Doug Seay, a veteran TV media-buying executive, now an executive at Eclipse Television & Sports Marketing, a TV producer and event marketer of skiing shows. "That's where the talent is," he says.

Some of the top CBS videos on YouTube include a clip from "NCIS," in which two female characters wrestle each other to the ground as several men gawk. The "NCIS"/Cat Fight was one of three CBS clips to crack YouTube's top 25 for this month. It has been viewed over 1.6 million times.

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Another crowd pleaser, comic Sacha Baron Cohen--the star of the movie "Borat," who made an appearance on "Late Show with David Letterman"--has been viewed over million times, while his visit to "The Early Show" pulled in nearly 970,000 streams. Clips from "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" are also heavily viewed. All of this has had a spillover effect back to the original TV shows.

"We are seeing a lift in those two late-night programs," says George Schweitzer, president of CBS Marketing Group. "David Letterman" has added 200,000 new viewers, while "Craig Ferguson" is up 100,000 viewers.

Why are CBS programs so quick to click with YouTube?

"It's just pure awareness," says Schweitzer. "It is branded entertainment. It is things that people know. When you know what you are looking for, branded stuff is easier to find."

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