BEIJING, March 3 (Xinhuanet) -- A deal between the BBC and Google to provide news clips and other programs on YouTube was announced Friday by the British news agency.

    The BBC is going after YouTube's monthly audience of more than 70 million viewers and hopes to generate wider interest in its programs, its own website and eventually related content on its proposed BBC iPlayer commercial download service.

    The agreement means the BBC joins the likes of U.S. broadcasters NBC, CBS and Fox in signing to deals with YouTube. However, some have accused the corporation of straying from its public service remit into commercial Internet activities.

    BBC director general Mark Thompson called the non-exclusive tie-up a "ground-breaking partnership" that would "engage new audiences in the UK and abroad."

    "The partnership provides both a creative outlet for a range of short-form content from BBC program makers and the opportunity to learn about new forms of audience behavior," he said.

    The British Broadcasting Corporation will receive a slice of the advertising revenue made by traffic to the three new YouTube channels to be set up.

    The venture is part of the BBC's strategic move into multimedia methods of delivering news and entertainment to audiences across the globe.

    One BBC YouTube channel will feature trailers and clips, such as video diaries featuring actors showing viewers around studio sets, or war correspondents explaining the difficulties of the job.

    The BBC Worldwide channel will contain clips from the BBC's archive, from programs such as motoring show "Top Gear," comedy "The Mighty Boosh" and nature programs.

    The BBC News channel, to be launched later this year, will feature about 30 news clips per day and will be funded by advertising -- meaning that people in Britain will not be able to view them.

    (Agencies)