Google webcasts news programs of TV Asahi, TBS via YouTube

TOKYO: US search engine giant Google Inc said Tuesday it has concluded license agreements with two Japanese commercial broadcasters - TV Asahi Corp and Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings Inc - to webcast their news and other programs through its YouTube video sharing site.

TV Asahi and TBS began offering their news programs Tuesday in accordance with the deals, which are said to be the first of their kind involving major Japanese TV stations and YouTube.

Faced with slumping advertisement income, TV stations are looking for new revenue sources and are diversifying into new forms of media services. They can be expected to offer more of their programming via the Internet, industry analysts said.

Major TV broadcasters already offer their content via their own websites.

The programs of TV Asahi and TBS can be viewed through sections dedicated to the two firms within the YouTube site.

The two Japanese firms' programs can be accessed free of charge for now. But TBS asked to collect fees in a press conference the three partners held Tuesday.

David Eun, Google's vice president of strategic partnerships, said the company is studying the idea.

The latest alliance comes as more TV companies are teaming up with Internet service firms. Fuji Television Network Inc and Nippon Television Network Corp, for example, agreed with Yahoo Japan Corp. earlier this month to invest in the portal site operator's subsidiary "GyaO" video streaming service.