• Reuters, Monday, October 9, 2006 11:45 AM

Late this morning, a flurry of deals from major copyright holders were announced by both YouTube and Google. Vivendi's Universal Music Group, which only a few weeks ago threatened to sue YouTube for "tens of thousands of dollars," announced a distribution deal with the online video giant. Just like the Warner deal struck several weeks ago, UMG will offer YouTube users access to thousands of videos from Universal's archives, and allow YouTube users to incorporate songs from its music catalog into their own videos. No financial details were disclosed.

Meanwhile, CBS Corp. also announced a new partnership with the Web startup, in which CBS will provide short-form video programming on YouTube from its news, sports and entertainment divisions starting this month. The companies will share revenue from ad sponsorships of CBS' videos. Google, on the other hand, has secured distribution deals with Sony BMG and Warner Music Group to offer music videos on Google Video. Sony BMG, a joint venture between Sony and Bertelsmann AG, has yet to reach a similar agreement with YouTube. The viral video sensation, of course, has been linked with Google as a possible takeover target for $1.6 billion. It's unclear whether a merger of the company's assets would affect any of these distribution deals.

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