It's not TV...it's HBO programming on YouTube

HBO and YouTube announced a deal earlier today where video clips from the former's original shows, from Flight of the Conchords to The Wire, will be available for free on the latter's online-video service. Which isn't to say that they're not available there right now for anyone willing to search, but now they'll be legal instead of resting snugly in the strange gray realm of streaming Internet rights.

Joseph Giraldi, director of digital distribution and partnerships for HBO, commented in a press release that, "We invest significantly in developing HBO programs and are always searching for new promotional platforms." Based upon his comments and what's initially being offered, it seems unlikely for HBO to provide any truly new content to the service in the nearby future, but one particularly bright spot is that full episodes of The Treatment will be featured. This presents the possibility that other HBO shows may eventually also end up online. Probably not anything too popular, but a man can dream, can he not?

Moral of the story: HBO isn't moving totally in favor of online content, which makes sense given its subscription basis. But the network is making a move in that general direction.

Related links:
HBO.com
YouTube.com
News: Flight of the Conchords rock Consumer Electronics Show

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