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CBS permitted YouTube to carry clips of shows uploaded by the network, and the result has been that CBS content enjoyed millions of views of those clips for the past four weeks.

After partnering with YouTube on October 18th, CBS found that visitors to the site were lapping up their videos at a brisk pace. The over 300 clips provided by the network have generated 29.2 million views since launching on YouTube on that date.

CBS said it has three of the top 25 most viewed videos on YouTube for the month of November through the 17th. Clips from NCIS and Letterman both notched over one million total views each during the period.

It also looks like the postings to YouTube have had some impact on CBS fortunes this year. From CBS:

Ratings for the network's late night programs, in particular, have shown notable increases. CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman" has added 200,000 (+5%) new viewers while "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" is up 100,000 viewers (+7%) since the YouTube postings started.

Although the success of these shows on YouTube is not the sole cause of the rise in television ratings, both companies believe that YouTube has brought a significant new audience of viewers to each broadcast.
Contrast that to the actions taken by Universal Music Group against YouTube. The music label, led by its fire-breathing CEO Doug Harris, sued YouTube for copyright infringement. Instead of embracing YouTube with a sharing agreement, Universal may be cutting off its nose to spite its face, considering the success with YouTube that CBS has enjoyed.

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David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.