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YouTube is set to announce today that it has reached an agreement with MGM to show full-length television shows and films from the studio.

MGM says it will post old episodes of its "American Gladiators" program to YouTube on one channel.

MGM will also post full-length action films like "Bulletproof Monk" and "The Magnificent Seven" along with clips from popular movies like "Legally Blonde." The content will be free to watch and ad supported.

The move is a step away from what YouTube has been known for, short-form video clips. The Google owned video-sharing site is now taking on Hulu, a joint venture between NBC Universal and Fox which shows full-length TV shows and movies.

YouTube reached a similar agreement in October with CBS to host full-length archived shows, including "Star Trek," "Young and the Restless" and "Beverly Hills 90210."

"We believe in comprehensiveness, and we want to have deals with everybody," said Jordan Hoffner, the director of content partnerships for YouTube. "We want to be able to give users the most content possible."

YouTube has been experimenting with full-length shows from cable channels HBO and Showtime but its agreement with MGM puts it in more direct competition with Hulu.

YouTube will likely be looking for similar partnerships in the future as it looks to boost its advertising revenue.